Fall A Rizzoli & Isles Story
by msj12991
Summary: My first R&I Story. Jane & Maura meet when they are kids. From that moment on they are best friends. But as they get older, they both grow more than platonic feelings for one another. But they also overcome many obstacles along the way. Will they be able to remain friends, or will they become something more, or nothing at all? AU & other characters.
1. Play Ball

Chapter 1

"_Swish" _

"Oh yeah! 10 - 7, little bro!" 9 year old Jane Rizzoli yelled out to her younger brother Frankie, clapping her hands together. Frankie, who was a year and a half younger than his sister was, stood there with his hands to his side and a defeated look on his face.

"Come on, Janie! Do you have to embarrass me in _front_ of my friends all the time?" He sneered as her as he glanced over at his friend, Chris, who was sitting on the park bench, enjoying the warm Boston weather. Frankie wiped sweat from his forehead as he turned his head back to glare at his older sister, whose brunette hair was frizzed from the hot weather and pulled up in a loose ponytail. Frankie glanced down at his sister's wrist and realized the reason for her good game playing. A smirk arose on his face as he reached out and grabbed his sisters left arm. "Ha! You liar! You are wearing your lucky wrist band!"

"Shut up loser! It's not a 'lucky' wristband. Besides, I always wear it when I play basketball, and I still beat you! You just suck!" Jane declared as she snatched her arm back and picked up the basketball that came to a rest next to her. "It's your ball anyways, _lame brain_." She laughed as she tossed the basketball to him.

But he failed to catch it, as his eyes were trained to something, or someone, behind her. "Jane, look." He said nodding towards the direction he was staring.

Jane turned on her heel and, at first glance, didn't see what Frankie was staring at. Then she saw a small figure, standing behind the tree, watching them. Jane squinted her eyes against the suns rays to try to get a better look of the person, but it didn't quite help. "Hey!" Jane yelled out at the person. "What are you doing over there?"

The small figure emerged from the tree and started walking towards them. As the person got closer, Jane noticed that it was a small girl, possibly around her age, with long, honey blonde hair. The little girl was dressed in a simple purple & blue summer dress. But what seemed odd to Jane was that she was wearing sneakers with her dress instead of dress shoes. _"This is a weird one"_ Jane thought to herself.

"Who are you and what are you doing? Why were you just standing over there watching us?" Jane questioned with her left hand on her hip, a habit she had when she demanded answers.

"I'm Maura. My mother & I just moved in the neighborhood. Mother walked me down here to play with you all." The tiny girl, named Maura, answered in a small voice.

"How did you know we were here?" Frankie finally spoke, running his fingers through his cropped brown hair.

"Well, I believe my mother & I live next to one of you. One of your mother's said that I should come down here and play with you guys. Get to know you better." Maura stated but then she turned to walk away. "But if you don't want to play with me that's fine."

Jane watched Maura start to leave and then realized it was hers and Frankie's mother who had told Maura to come to the park to play with them. If Maura were to go back to her home and tell her mom that they had not played with her, they would be in BIG trouble. "Wait! Of course we'll play with you!" Jane yelled to her.

"What? Janie!" Frankie pleaded.

"You wanted your dumb friend to play anyways. So now he can. He's on your team and she's on mine."

"But Janie,"

"Frankie, if we don't play with her, we won't be coming down here to play for the rest of the summer! So come on and stop being a jerk face!" Jane sneered at him, picking the dropped ball back up and tossing it to him before running off towards Maura.

Maura seemed surprised when Jane slowed from a run to a walk and stopped in front of her. "Really? I can play with you guys?"

Jane nodded her head yes then turned back towards the guys, not really looking at Maura. "Yeah, of course. It'll be you & me versus my idiot brother Frankie, which is the one with the tube socks on and the superman shirt, and his weird friend Chris with the funky shirt and weird looking hair."

"Okay, but I really must tell you-" Maura started but stopped when Jane ran back to the basketball court. Maura bit down on her bottom lip and walked towards the court as well.

"Alright, Frankie you & Chris get ball first." Jane stated, looking at Chris, who was once again tying his shoes. She didn't understand why a person needed to tie then retie their shoes. "Later that same day." She groaned, throwing her head back in aggravation, causing Maura to laugh lightly. "I really don't understand the purpose of that." Jane whispered, to where only Maura could hear her. "Okay, so you can guard Chris and I'll get my brother, k?"

"Um… What?" Maura said. But she was a bit late, because the game already started. She ran over towards Chris and started flinging her arms around, not quite sure what to do. When Frankie passed the ball to Chris, Chris easily whipped past her and made the basket.

"Yeah bro! That was awesome!" Frankie exclaimed.

"Shut up, Frankie! I could do that in my sleep." Jane said walking over towards Maura, who was honestly a bit scared. "What the heck? I thought you could play basketball?"

"Well- I- I was trying- to tell you that- Well- I never really played before." Maura stammered, and then gave Jane a shy smile.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jane huffed under her breath and glanced back at her brother and his friend who were a little overly excited about making a basket. Seriously, she could do that with her eyes closed and a hand tied behind her back. Jane rubbed her temples and took in a deep breath. "Okay, look. When they have ball. You cannot let them get past you and get to the basket. Frankie can't shoot far from the basket, not even if his life depended on it. And I'm sure weirdo kid can't neither. So just keep them from the basket and we'll be cool." Jane said and was about to turn to go back to center court when Maura grabbed her arm.

"Wait. What if I get the ball?" Maura asked, sounding rather nervous.

"Well, if you get it, then just shoot it."

"I'm afraid I'm not sure how, or even if I could make it."

Jane sighed heavily and put her hands on Maura's shoulders. "Look, like my coach tells me-" Jane started but was cut off by Maura.

"You're on a basketball team?" Maura asked rather excitedly.

"Yeah, girl's basketball team at my school, but that's not the point. Coach always says to believe in yourself and you can do anything. If you don't make it the first few times, it's no big deal. Just guard weirdo, k?" Jane said lightly shaking Maura's shoulders.

"Okay. I think I'm ready now."

"Good. Then let's do this!" Jane said cheerfully as she ran to center court.

"You ain't got no chance big sis." Frankie said as he tossed the ball to Jane.

"Yeah, that's what you think, freak show." Jane said as she started to dribble the ball. She fake stepped to the left before passing the ball to Maura, who was shocked to get the ball. "Just shoot it!" Jane encouraged her. So Maura did, but she missed. Luckily, Jane was able to rebound the ball then bring it back to center court. "It's alright Maura!" Jane called out as Frankie laughed.

"Yeah right! She'll never make a basket! You'll never win with _her_ on your team!" Frankie laughed, but was soon silenced as Jane ran off towards the basket, then passed it back to Maura, who shot the ball, and this time, it bounced off them back off the rim and into the net.

"Yes!" Maura exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, she'll totally _never_ make a basket Frankie." Jane said sarcastically. "Good job, Maur!" Jane yelled to Maura, smiling. _I didn't think she could do it, but she did._ Jane thought to herself.

24 minutes later, Maura & Jane were in the lead with 11 - 10. They just needed one more point and they would win the game. The two girls were huddled on their side of the court, sweat dripping off of them. "So what's the plan?" Maura asked, taking a big gulp of water.

"Well, I think that… We should fake it and make it seem like I'm gonna take the last shot. Frankie knows I always take the game shot, so he'll believe I will this time, too."

"He'll believe that you will, so you won't be taking it?" Maura asked, her hazel eyes filled with nervousness as she realized what Jane was saying. "You want me to?" Maura said a little loudly.

"Shh! Not too loud. I don't want them hearing our plan. But yes, I want you to take the last shot." Jane said, smiling at Maura, who was still filled with nervousness.

"But what if I miss it?"

"You won't." Jane smiled at her and rubbed her shoulders then walked off to center court again.

Maura took a deep breath, then another drink of water. _You can do this, Maura! Don't let your friend, or who seems like your friend, down! _Maura thought to herself. She had never had a real friend before. They all thought that she was weird and they would never play with her. But Jane was different, and she was nice. She didn't want to lose the one friend that she had made. So Maura pushed herself up off the park bench, walked over towards where Jane was, and stood in position.

When Frankie passed the ball to Jane, Jane immediately tried to take off running towards the goal, but Frankie & Chris were both guarding her. So she threw the ball over their heads, in hopes that Maura would get it. Maura caught the ball and was about to make the shot when she felt someone push her from behind, causing her to collide, face first, with the goalpost.

"Oh my God, Maura!" Jane yelled and ran towards her friend. "You idiot Frankie, what were you thinking!" She yelled punched Frankie in the chest.

"You always win Jane!" Frankie yelled back in her, choking back the tears from the pain in his chest where Jane had punched him.

"Maura, you okay?" Jane asked as she approached her. When Maura didn't respond, Jane became worried. "Maura?" Jane said again, turning her towards her, seeing the tears streaming down Maura's face and the blood on her shirt from her nose. "Oh my God, Maura." Jane said worriedly, then rushed to the bench to grab her towel that she always brought with her to wipe the sweat from her head. "Here, put this on your nose and tilt your head back." Jane said, knowing all too well that Maura had a broken nose. She had her nose broken before, coincidently by Frankie, and remembered her mother telling her to keep her head back to help stop the blood.

"Jane-" Maura started, pain evident in her voice.

"Shh, you'll be okay Maura. Let's just get you back home, k?" Jane said, throwing a glare at Frankie as she helped Maura walk towards the bench to get their stuff.

"Jane." Maura said again, making Jane look at her. "Are you mad at me?"

"What? Good God no!" Jane laughed and shook her head. "Why in the world would I be mad at you?"

"Because you didn't win like you always do." Maura said sadly.

"Ha. I could care less about that right now, Maura. We really need to get you home though to get that nose checked out." Jane said, walking with Maura beside her. "And you, Frankie! You're going to be in deep trouble when you get home!"

"You gonna tell Ma on me, Janie? I'll tell her about all the stuff you did!" Frankie challenged.

"Oh, I won't have to tell her anything when she sees Maura's face, you asshole." Jane cursed at him, causing Frankie's jaw to drop. Jane had never cussed before a day in her life, mostly for fear of what her mother would do to her if she ever found out she cussed.

About 15 minutes later, Jane walked up to her home and opened the door with her right hand, somewhat struggled to open it, since she was left handed and did everything with her left hand.

"Janie! Frankie, you home?" Jane's mother, Angela, called out from the kitchen. When she walked out into the living room, her mouth dropped. "Oh my God, Jane what happened?"

"We played basketball, and Frankie was tired of losing. So, he took it out on her like the as- jerk he is." Jane said, catching herself before she called Frankie an asshole again.

"Oh sweetie, are you alright?" Angela asked Maura, pulling the towel away to view Maura's nose.

"The pain isn't as bad as it was, and I believe the bleeding stopped." Maura answered, wiping her tearstained eyes again.

"I'm going to go get your mother so she can take to you the doctor so they can fix that, honey. Jane, tell Frankie I want him home _now." _Angela said, giving Jane a look that told her that Frankie was indeed in deep trouble when he gets home.

Maura sighed heavily then looked over at Jane. "Thanks for letting me play with you though, Jane."

Jane just shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her head. "What are friends for?"

Maura's eyes lit up and she smiled at Jane. "So we're friends?"

"Ha-ha. Yeah, we're friends." Jane smiled and looked down at her feet.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?" Jane said, looking back at Maura.

"Thanks for being my friend." Maura replied, giving her a crooked smile.

"No problem."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . . . . . . .. .. .

_So this is my first Rizzoli and Isles story. As you can tell it is AU (Alternate Universe, for those who are like me and didn't know what it means until now lol)_

_Sorry if it starts kind of slow._

_But I hope you all like it! Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	2. Dinners, Desserts and A Surprise

A/N: I just want to say thanks so much you guys for the reviews and all the favorites and alerts! It means a lot to mean! I'm glad that you all are allowing me to share this with you all! =) I'm glad you are all enjoying it so far!

Chapter 2

It had been two days since Maura had met Jane. Two days since she had first played basketball, broke her nose for the first (and hopefully) last time. And it had also been two days since Maura had made her first _real_ friend. Maura smiled to herself of the thought of her new friend. Her mother, Constance, had already grown fond of the small brunette. She found her to be quite refreshing with her bluntness and satire.

"Maura darling, are you going to invite Jane over for dinner this evening?" Constance asked, rinsing off the last couple of dishes she had left over, then drying her hands off with a dishtowel. "I'd hoped to see her again, soon, since we were only able to chat with her & Angela for a little while the other day."

Maura brushed her hair back into a half ponytail before walking into the spacious kitchen, with the linoleum floors and granite counters. "I was thinking about it. But she may be busy." Maura replied doubtfully. Honestly, Maura hadn't seen Jane since the incident and being rushed to the hospital by her mother. She had hoped she hadn't already scared her off. But Jane's mother reassured her plenty of times yesterday that Jane was just busy cleaning up her room and such. Still, it made Maura believe that Jane didn't want anything to do with her.

"Well, maybe you should just go over next door and ask her to drop by." Constance suggested, and then turned around on her heel when she heard a set of footsteps approaching the kitchen. When she looked up, she noticed that it was her youngest child. "Adam! Hello darling. Are you feeling any better?"

Adam, a lanky 7 year old, with hair the same color as Maura's and eyes a beautiful sea green, smiled meekly at his mother then walked to the antique table and sat in one of the wooden chairs. "Yes mother, I'm feeling better. I was just watching some TV." Adam replied looking over at his older sister. "You doing alright, Maura? Mother told me that you broke your nose." Adam said, picking at the tablecloth.

"Yeah, I'm better now. Guess that's what I get for trying to play basketball." Maura laughed.

Adam raised his eyebrow at his older sister and smirked. "You played basketball?"

"Yes she did. With the young little lady next door, named Jane. I believe their mother said it was actually her brother that gave her the broken nose." Constance spoke aloud to herself more than to Adam.

"Wow. Did you deck him one?" Adam asked his sister.

"No. But Jane did." Maura said smiling. "Well, not in his face, but she punched him in his chest." Maura continued, making Adam laugh at the last part.

"I _so _wanna meet her! I bet she's awesome!" Adam said excitedly. "So is she coming by for dinner?"

"I don't know. I still need to go ask her." Maura answered with her head down. She was nervous about going over to the Rizzoli home. She didn't know who would answer. And she was also afraid that if Jane did, she would reject the offer to come over. Either that or slam the door in her face.

"Well go ask her darling! I'm sure Adam would go with you." Her mother offered, and as soon as she did, Adam scrambled off out into the living room then bounded up the stairs.

"It's okay, mother. I'll go ask her by myself." Maura replied, a little discouraged. She quickly pulled on her tennis shoes and walked out the front door, taking in a deep breath. She walked over to the large ornate door of the Rizzoli home and knocked lightly. She listened for a moment and heard yelling going on through the home. So she knocked again, but this time decided to knock louder.

"I'll get it!" A voice that Maura recognized as Jane's, yelled from the other side of the door. The door swung open and Jane stood there with her dark hair down, laying in curls, wearing a Celtics jersey and a pair of black shorts. "Oh hey Maura! What's up?" Jane smiled, making Maura smile back.

"Hey. Um, I- Well my mother actually was um- She wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner? She wants to get to know you better. And she wants you to meet my younger brother Adam." Maura stammered, feeling rather nervous.

Jane smirked sideways then glanced back at her mom. "Ma, you care if I go to Maura's house for dinner?"

"Not at all! Janie just don't forget I'm making your favorite for dessert tonight! Invite Maura over for some dessert too! Her mother's feeding you, so I should feed her some of my-" Angela said but was cut off by Jane.

"K, mom love you!" Jane huffed, rolling her eyes. "God, my mom would talk _forever_ if you'd let her. I swear she never ever shuts up." Jane laughed.

"I think she's really nice." Maura admitted, holding her head down.

"Yeah she's nice she's just… overbearing. And overprotective. And overly talkative." Jane replied as they walked into the Isles household. She was going to say something else but her mind instantly went blank as she saw their living room. It was huge! It had beautiful beige walls, with a gorgeous fireplace set on the back wall. In the front of the living room sat a luxurious, black leather couch with matching chairs and a loveseat. On the wall was a wonderfully painted picture that looked like it was highly expensive and painted by a famous painter like Monet. "Wow." Was all Jane was able to say. Her dark brown eyes gazed around the room, her mouth agape. The living room was simply gorgeous!

"You definitely cannot tell that we live in the same neighborhood. Heck, I've even been over here before when the Hamilton's lived here & it _never_ looked this nice!" Jane said, still in awe of the lustrous living room.

"Well, my mother is an artist. She also used to be an interior decorator. So that would be the reason for all of this." Maura replied nonchalantly, shaking her head. "Honestly, I'd like it much better if it were a plain home. No fancy paintings or furniture." Maura added, but her words fell on deaf ears as Jane wandered around the living room, looking at all the fancy sculptures and paintings.

Feeling Maura's eyes on her back, Jane turned around to face her. "Sorry." Jane laughed. "I was busy looking at all the stuff." She explained, glancing back at an art piece.

"Ah, my mother made that one." Maura responded, earning a surprised glance from Jane.

"Your mother made this? Wow. You said she was an artist but I thought you meant like… I don't even know what I thought you meant." Jane laughed.

"Yeah. It's a bit much, I think." Maura admitted.

"Are you kidding me? This place is awesome! It's like a palace compared to my house." Jane said, still staring at the piece Maura's mother made.

"I'd like it much better if it were more like your home. You know, bright colors, it doesn't put off that empty feeling." Maura replied.

"It makes me feel empty." Jane murmured, but loud enough to where Maura had heard her. Jane looked back at Maura, who looked like she was sad. "Okay fine, if it makes you feel better, I wish your house was like mine too." Jane lied, smiling at Maura.

"You're lying. Your pupils are dilated." Maura pointed out before skipping into the kitchen, leaving behind a dumbfounded Jane.

"My what is _what?_" Jane wondered aloud to herself. She shook her head then walked in the direction that Maura had went in. Jane's mouth once again flew open as she walked into the kitchen. _"Okay, no sense in lying about it. Her house is way cooler than mine." _Jane thought to herself as she glanced around the kitchen.

"Jane! Darling, how lovely it is to see you again!" Constance beamed, pulling Jane into an uncomfortable, yet warm hug.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Isles." Jane replied when Constance finally released her.

"Oh sweetie, please call me Constance. We don't need any formalities here. Did you make sure with your mother that it was alright that you had dinner with us?" Constance asked, turning back towards the counter to cut up some more vegetables. "I'm going to make _Calamari Veneto._"

"That sounds good." Jane smiled, and then she remembered Constance had asked her a question. "Oh and my mom knows I'm eating over here with you guys. She said it was alright. Oh, she also wanted to know if it was alright that Maura came over for dessert?" Jane asked, smiling at Maura.

"Of course darling!" Constance replied, turning around to smile back at Jane. "Now, Maura why don't you take Jane to your room & play while I prepare dinner." She stated, rather than asked.

Maura nodded her head then motioned for Jane to follow her back into her room. "My brother Adam sleeps in that room." Maura informed Jane, nodding towards the door on the far right. "Mother sleeps here." She added, motioning to the first room, then stopped at the door on the left. "This one is my room." She concluded, before opening the door, to reveal a beautiful room, with blue walls and a large bay window, facing the Rizzoli home. She had a twin-sized bed, with a purple comforter and pillows to match. In the far corner sat a cherry wood dresser with a picture of Maura and, of who Jane assumed was her brother, Adam. The TV sat on a television stand next to the dresser, facing the foot of Maura's bed.

When Jane looked towards the closet, she noticed that it was bare. "Haven't finished unpacking yet?" Jane asked, glancing sideways at Maura.

"Um… Not exactly." Maura muttered.

Jane raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Then she remembered she wanted to ask Maura something. "Hey, what you said earlier? What the heck were you talking about?" Jane laughed.

Maura tilted her head to the side. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"About the whole "pupil" thing. What was that about?" Jane asked, sitting down next to Maura on her bed, then looked out the window. "Oh wow! You can see my bedroom from here!" Jane exclaimed. "That's cool. But kinda freaky. At least you sleep here and not your brother." Jane joked, looking back at Maura. "But seriously. The pupil thing?"

Maura wanted to speak but she didn't know what to say. She didn't want Jane to think she was weird or anything. But she feared she already thought that. Maura sighed and spoke in a low voice, "I read it in a book before. It said that when a person lies, sometimes their pupils become dilated and their breathing increases along with their heartbeat. It can also be accompanied by excessive sweating and stammering or looking around at anything else besides the other person."

Jane just sat there, quite impressed at just how much her new friend knew. "Wow. That's umm-"

"Weird, I know." Maura sighed, holding her head down in her hands.

"I was gonna say that it was interesting. I don't think it's really… weird." Jane explained, licking her dry lips and pushing her dark hair out of her face. "I mean, I think it's cool you know that kind of stuff. I don't even know what half those words meant." Jane joked, trying to lighten the mood. She sighed as she realized it didn't quite work. Maura still sat there with her head in her hands. "Come on Maur. Please look at me. I'm sorry if I upset you." Jane pleaded with her. When she lifted her head up, Jane smiled.

"You didn't upset me. I just don't want you thinking I'm weird or anything." Maura explained, wiping her wet eyes.

"Aw, Maura, you didn't need to cry or anything. And I don't think you're weird. My brothers are weird. Even that goofy guy Chris is weird. But you?" Jane shook her head. "I think you're pretty cool. You're funny, you seem really smart, and you're nice." Jane smiled. Her head quickly turned the door as she heard someone knock on it.

"That's probably Adam. Come on in Adam." Maura called out to him. A moment later the door opened and Adam walked in.

"Hello. I'm Adam." He said, greeting himself to Jane in a meek voice, smiling.

"Hey. I'm Jane." She smiled back at him.

"Um, Maura. Mother said dinner would be ready soon." Adam informed his older sister.

"Okay, we will be out there soon." Maura answered, then Adam left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Aw, he's so adorable! Unlike my brothers." Jane said, rolling her eyes at the thought of her two annoying little brothers.

"He can be annoying, believe me." Maura smiled. She loved her little brother, but he could get under her skin at times. He would tell on her for the littlest things. Mostly if Maura wouldn't let him into her room. She loved him anyways though. "We should probably head out there." Maura suggested, standing up from the bed and straightening her shirt.

"Man, it already smells good." Jane commented, following Maura out of the room.

…. … …. … ….. … . 2 hours later - Rizzoli Residence

"No, I get the first Cannoli!"

"No, you always get the first one Tommy!" Frankie argued as he chased his younger brother Tommy around the living room.

Jane instantly sighed to herself as she closed the front door and looked at Maura. "See what kind of idiots I live with? Arguing over who gets the first Cannoli." Jane said, shaking her head. Maura just laughed and followed Jane. They ended up going into the Rizzoli family kitchen, where Angela was standing at the stove, checking on the Cannoli.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Angela looked up and smiled when she saw Jane & Maura standing there. "Oh hello girls! How was dinner?" Angela asked, wiping her hands with a dishtowel.

"It was really good, ma. Oh and Frankie & Tommy are arguing over the Cannoli again." Jane informed her mother, who huffed and shook her head.

"I can't believe those boys." Angela said then looked back over at Jane & Maura. "Tell ya what. You two get the first two Cannolis tonight." Angela said, smiling at the two girls.

"Thanks ma. Maura & I are gonna hang out in my room for a bit, if that's alright." Jane replied.

"Yeah sure honey. I'll come get you both when they're done." Angela promised as the girls walked from the kitchen and into Jane's room, which was a bit smaller than Maura's, but were painted a bright, lime green.

"Wow. You're room is so pretty!" Maura said, glancing around the room.

"Eh, it's alright. Nothing like your room, though, which by the way is amazing!" Jane replied, smiling at Maura, who was looking at a figurine of a horse standing on Jane's wooden, antique dresser. "Yeah, I kinda have a thing for horses." Jane said nonchalantly.

"I love dolphins." Maura replied, not looking away from the beautiful, wooden carved, black horse.

"Dolphins? Like the things that look like sharks?" Jane questioned.

"Yes. But they are far much nicer than sharks. Actually, a shark is a cartilaginous fish & a dolphin is a mammal, though they both live in the same marine ecosystem. Did you know that there is 40 different species of dolphins? However, the shark has many more species though. They have at least 440 different species." Maura replied, and then realized that she may have, once again, said far too much. When she looked back at Jane though, she didn't look overwhelmed with information. She just sat there with a small smile on her face. "What?" Maura asked, worried that Jane would make fun of her.

"You're really smart, you know this right?" Jane said smiling at her friend. Maura just smiled shyly and looked away, shaking her head. Jane laughed to herself and shook her own head. Jane looked back at Maura, studying her. She wore a light blue tank top with blue jeans that had little flowers going down the side of them. She was wearing those same sneakers that she was wearing the other day. "Hey Maura, can I ask you something?"

Maura turned around then smiled as she looked at Jane. "Sure. What is it?" She asked, sitting down at the foot of Jane's bed, facing her.

"I never did get to meet your dad, where is he?" Jane asked, tilting her head to the side.

Maura's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes jumped around the room. "Um… Well I could say the same thing. I haven't met your father." Maura replied quickly.

Jane raised an eyebrow and squinted her eyes. "He's at work. He's a plumber. He's not home a whole lot. But you or your mom or even your little brother mentioned him. I was just wondering why."

"My father's dead!" Maura blurted out, her eyes clouding over with tears.

Jane's mouth dropped open and instantly regretted asking about Maura's dad. "_Great job Jane. You made her cry." _Jane thought to herself before scooting over to Maura and pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry Maur. I didn't know. I shouldn't have asked." Jane apologized, holding the smaller girl in her arms. She felt Maura start to pull away so she backed off.

Maura wiped her eyes and sniffed. "It's ok." She whispered, sniffing again. "It's just… I'm still not completely over it, you know?"

"Well I can imagine." Jane said, rubbing Maura's shoulder. "What umm… What happened?" Jane asked, hoping she wasn't wanting too much information.

But before Maura could reply, Angela walked in. "Dessert's ready girls! Now hurry on out there before your brothers find out I didn't tell them first." Angela whispered then smiled widely at the girls, not noticing anything was wrong.

Maura was the first to rise to her feet and smiled at Jane. "Come on, let's go have some dessert."

"You'll tell me later?" Jane asked.

Maura just smiled and said, "Maybe."

… ….. ….. … ….. … … … ….. …. …. … ….. … ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …

So I hope you all liked this second chapter! The next one, they'll still be kids. And will we find out how Maura's dad passed? Maybe… But then again… =)

I think maybe in the fourth chapter though, I may make them older. But not like 20 or anything, like 15 or 16.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! =)


	3. Early Mornings & Birthdays

Ch.3 - Two Months Later - Aug 10th; Jane's 10th birthday

Jane sighed heavily as she arose in her bed from the sound of someone tapping against her window. Rubbing her tired eyes, she glanced at her alarm clock and saw that it was 4:35 in the morning. Groaning loudly, her eyes shot to the window where she saw Maura standing there in, what Jane guess what supposed to be her pajamas, a white tank top and blue shorts, looking tired. Jane's brow furrowed as she dragged herself out of her warm twin-sized bed, her feet padding across the floor as she walked over to the window, opening it up far enough for Maura to climb through.

"There better be a really good reason for you to be waking me up this early in the morning, Maur." Jane said sleepily, scratching her head, then pushed her nappy hair back out of her face.

"Other than the fact that I got you a gift for your birthday?" Maura asking, smiling. She then reached into her short pocket and pulled out a small black box, holding it out for Jane to take.

Jane yawned as she glared at her friend. "Maura, normal people wait until later in the day to give gifts." She said, taking the gift from Maura's small hands anyways. She opened the lid and looked inside the box, straining to see what her gift was. "Ugh, forget it, I can't see. What is it?" Jane asked quickly, her fingers fumbling around inside the box, desperately trying to get whatever was inside of the box out.

"It's a best friend necklace silly." Maura replied, pulling the necklace from the box, then handing it over to Jane.

Jane examined the small trinket as Maura handed it to her then noticed something. "Um, Maura, it just says 'friend' on it." She informed her friend, her brow furrowing.

"Oh, that's because I have the other part that says 'Best'." Maura explained, pulling out her necklace from inside of her top. "See? Mine is blue because blue is my favorite color, and I gave you the green one because green is your favorite. Do you like it?" Maura asked hopefully.

Jane just smiled in response and pulled her friend into a warm hug. "Thank you Maura. It is really pretty. I really like it." Jane announced, pulling away from Maura. "Um, you think you could help me put it on though?" Jane asked, holding her hand out for Maura to take the necklace.

Maura smiled and took the necklace from Jane's hands and moved Jane's hair so she could put the necklace on her. She pulled the necklace around Jane's neck & snapped it together. "There you go." Maura said, smiling.

Jane smiled her thanks then looked around the room, scratching her head. "So, I think it's pretty obvious neither of us are going to be able to get back to sleep, you wanna hang out over here until it's time for you to head back home before your mom wakes up?" Jane offered, hoping Maura would accept. She didn't want to be awake & alone this early in the morning. Jane smiled as Maura quickly accepted the offer.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

An hour had passed and both girls were sound asleep in Jane's bed. Maura was at the foot of the bed, her head nearly hanging off the side. Jane was next to Maura, her little body sprawled across the mattress. Her right leg was hanging off the other side of the bed with her left leg at the foot of the bed.

Angela shook her head, smiling lightly as she took in the scene in front of her. She had heard someone come in an hour ago and when she had went to check the house, she had heard Maura's voice coming through Jane's door. It wasn't the first time Maura had snuck herself in through Jane's window. Angela knew that it wouldn't be the last time neither. Both young girls had grown very close to one another. Constance also knew of the sneaking out, but neither mother had the heart to call either of the girls out on it. They were just thankful they weren't sneaking out to meet boys, and hoped that when they got older, it wouldn't be that way neither. They hoped that the only person they would sneak out to go see was each other. But the girls were still young, and neither mother had to worry about boy problems yet.

And both mothers had told the girls that they were invited to come over whenever they wanted to. Neither of them had planned though or thought that they would be sneaking one another through windows in the middle of the night.

Angela came out of her thoughts as Jane began to stir in her sleep. Angela hurried out of the room quietly, closing the door, then stood to listen at the door.

"Oh crap! Maur… Maura, wake up!" Angela heard Jane say through the door. A second later, she heard a response come from Maura. "We went to sleep, Maur. You need to get home so your mom doesn't freak out." Jane replied, clearly freaking out herself.

Angela knocked on the door then opened it, not waiting for a response. When she saw the looks on Jane's & Maura's faces, she wanted to laugh. But she played it cool. "Oh, I thought I heard voices. Good early morning, Maura." Angela greeted sweetly.

"Um, morning Mrs. Rizzoli." Maura stammered nervously. "I was um… I was just about to-" Maura started, looking out the window.

"It's alright honey! You don't have to go home. I'll let your mother know you're over here in about an hour." Angela replied in a calming voice, which helped Maura to calm down some. "And honey, call me Angela." She smiled, and then looked over at Jane. "And happy birthday baby girl. I'm going to make you your favorite for breakfast." Angela informed her daughter with a smile.

"Thank you mom." Jane said, climbing out of her bed & going to her mother, giving her a warm hug.

"You're welcome honey. You two can go back to sleep though if you want to." Angela said, watching Jane's face fall.

"How did you know we were asleep?" Jane asked worriedly.

Angela just laughed. "I'm a mom honey. I know things. Love you girls!" Angela smiled, leaving the room.

Jane turned around to glance at Maura and gave her a small smile.

"It's okay, Jane. At lest she wasn't mad or anything." Maura told her friend.

"Oh you don't know my mother. She'll act like she's not mad or anything, but once you leave, she'll probably rip me a new one." Jane replied, falling back onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, Jane. I mean, she didn't seem upset at all." Maura informed Jane.

Jane, in response, pulled her pillow over her head & sighed heavily. "I'm so dead later."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Jane smiled at everyone around her & let out a deep breath. It had been an exhausting morning and afternoon. Around 12 pm, everyone started coming over for Jane's "surprise party". But it wasn't really a surprise, considering Jane already knew it was coming. And of course, when everyone started coming in, they had to be all in her face and hug & kiss all over her, which was overwhelming in itself. She hated hugs. She always felt like she was going to die of suffocation when someone hugged her. Then there came the cake and the birthday song, which she hated because she felt like the odd one out, being the only one _not_ singing and everyone with their eyes on her the entire time. The least overwhelming part was the gifts and cards. She had really enjoyed the card Maura got, well made, for her. She mostly liked it because it came from Maura's heart. She also liked it because Maura drew a beautiful black stallion on the front of the card.

So after all of that, it was now time for everyone to depart and leave, which was another overwhelming part because everyone expected her to say the parting words before all the hugs & kisses and nonsense… again.

Jane just smiled at everyone again then licked her overly dry lips. "Well, I just would like to thank everyone for coming, of course. And thanks to everyone for all the gifts and the cards." Jane began, looking at Maura when she mentioned the cards. "I really appreciate all of it. Thanks again." Jane said, earning a round of applause. _"God I really hate being center of attention." _Jane thought to herself. It was different at a basketball game because it wasn't just her everyone was applauding, it was her team as well.

Her eyes glanced around the room again and she laughed to herself. Maybe a fourth of her family was there right now. Her grandmother was there, along with two of her aunts, her Uncle Joe, her cousins Tanya, Craig & Danny, and of course her parents, Tommy & Frankie. And last but not least, was Constance, Adam and Jane's newly acclaimed 'best friend' Maura. As Jane's eyes fell on Maura, Maura smiled at her. Jane smiled back then looked up towards her grandmother, Rosetta, who had just approached her.

"I just cannot believe how grown up you've gotten Janie." She started, pulling Jane into a big hug. "It only seems like it was yesterday when your mother brought you home from the hospital, wrapped in your lime green blanket. Your father complained the entire time coming home. Talkin' bout how green was a color meant for a little boy, not his little girl. Then your mother would slap him on his shoulder and say that you looked beautiful in your green blanket. You were beautiful anyways. Anyhow, your father had no right to complain about you. Did he ever tell you that when I brought him home, he was in a pink blanket?" Rosetta continued, causing everyone to laugh. "It's all the hospital had that day, they ran out of the blue & green ones."

"Yeah ma, we all heard it plenty of times before." Frank Sr. complained.

"Yeah, and it gets funnier every time." Angela laughed, patting Frank on his shoulder as he shook his head. Angela then walked over to her eldest child, kissed her on her forehead then pulled her into a hug. "Happy birthday sweetie."

"Thanks ma." Jane murmured.

Almost an hour later, after everyone had gone and gave their goodbye hugs and kisses and shared the most random stories of her childhood, mostly all of them had left. Her parents & brothers, of course, had stayed. Maura had also stayed behind as well.

"Well that was rather fun." Maura smiled, taking a drink of her diet Pepsi, then laughing to herself at Jane's perplexed expression.

"You call that fun? God, it was torture! I felt like everyone someone hugged me, I was going to suffocate!" Jane said, earning a laugh from Maura.

"Janie, I'm sorry that Emily and Rachel couldn't make it to your party baby. Emily's mother said she had piano lessons and Rachel had a game she had to play.

"_Yeah, right, Emily taking piano lessons. Like that's ever happened."_ Jane thought to herself.

Maura looked over at Jane, clearly confused. "Who's Emily & Rachel?" Maura asked.

"They're some friends from school. They both play on the basketball team. It's no big deal they didn't show." Jane said, acting as if it didn't bother her. But inside, she was hurt. She always went to their parents, be it their birthday party, or a stupid party that their parents put together. She always went though. But Jane tried not to let it bother her too much. Instead she just sat back against the couch and smiled at Maura. "You'll be able to meet them at school." Jane informed Maura.

"Oh that's right! School starts next week! We need to go shopping tomorrow Jane! Maura you can come too if you'd like honey! I'm sure you'll love your new school! Jane can show you around and introduce you to her friends-"Angela went on, but Maura wasn't quite paying attention. She just nodded her head and smiled like she was listening. But inside, she was nervous. More than nervous actually. She was worried to death.

Jane had other friends that she hadn't met yet. And they hadn't met her yet either. What if her friends didn't like her? And if they didn't like her, would that make Jane not like her anymore either?

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*One Week Later - 1st day of school*

Maura paced around her room nervously, checking her reflection in her mirror several times. She didn't want to look like an idiot on the first day of school with Jane. She decided on wearing the new outfit that Angela had bought for her, which was a blue shirt with a cute design on it, a pair of black jeans with rhinestones on them, complete with a new pair of shoes and a denim jacket. Maura sighed heavily as she looked herself over again in the mirror. It was only 7:07 am and school didn't start for another hour and a half, yet she was already freaking out.

Deciding she could not stay in her room any longer, Maura opened up her window and climbed out, then walked over to Jane's window, knocking on it several times. Jane's head came out from her connected bathroom and she smiled lightly, shaking her head. She came to the window and opened it enough for Maura to climb through. "You're up early." Jane stated.

"Well I could say the same about you, Jane." Maura replied, giving Jane a once-over. Her hair was partly curled, the other half still messy. "Your hair?"

"I'm curling it to make it look better." Jane explained, closing the window back before walking back into her bathroom. "By the way, your outfit is cute! My mom was right when she said it would suit you just fine." Jane called out from the bathroom as Maura sat on her bed.

"You sure it's not too much?" Maura asked, pulling at the edges of her shirt.

Jane's head poked out from the bathroom and she glared at her friend. "Really? Too much would be high heels with some tight blue jeans, a camisole and a leather jacket with huge earrings and bright make up. You're fine." Jane said, pulling her head back into the bathroom.

"I just don't want anyone to make fun of me or anything." Maura admitted shyly.

"Well if they do, they'll have to deal with me. I won't let anyone mess with you, Maura." Jane promised.

"Well what if your friends, what's their names… Oh what if Emily & Rachel don't like me?" Maura asked.

Jane sighed to herself then walked back out into her bedroom. She had given up on curling her hair. It was not working for her so she just decided to pull her hair up into a ponytail. "Look. I don't care what they think. If they think you're weird and don't want to hand out with you, then to heck with them." Jane said seriously.

"Really? You'd ditch them for me?" Maura asked, surprised.

"Yes. I honestly would. Maura, you and I have been friends, best friends, for just a few months. And we are closer than me & Rachel & Emily. They hardly talk to me, unless it is at school. They don't come to my parties, they never come over unless my mom calls their mom and their mom _makes_ them come over. You are nothing like that. You come over because_ you _want to. Not because your mom wants you too. And you're nothing like them, but in a good way. You are funny and so smart. Plus, you're nice. You actually care when I tell you something, and you actually listen. You are a way better friend to me than either one of those two are. So yes, I would choose you over them." Jane explained, staring at Maura the entire time, hoping she would understand that she was indeed serious.

She never had a friendship like she did with Maura. She had never connected with someone like she did with her. And even though they were complete opposites, they still had fun hanging out and talking about all the things that made them different and all the things that they liked.

Maura smiled brightly, then expectedly hugged Jane. "Thank you, Jane. That means so much coming from you." Maura said, pulling away from Jane & wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I just… I've never met someone like you. You're so… I don't know, honest and loyal. You're just a really great friend Jane." Maura continued, smiling at Jane.

"Yeah, well you're not too bad of a friend yourself there." Jane replied in a joking manner. Maura replied by poking Jane in her side, causing Jane to laugh. Their friendship would be one that lasted for a long while.

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A/N: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and the alerts & favorites! It's all greatly appreciated and I'm glad you all are liking this! =)

Reviews are greatly appreciated! =)


	4. Hurricane Jane

Chapter 2 - 6 Years Later

"So you comin' to my game today?" Jane asked with her mouth full of her half eaten hamburger.

Maura shook her head at her for talking with her mouth full (as always), then took a bite into her own burger. She swallowed her food before replying, "Don't I come to all your games, Jane?"

Jane smiled to herself and wiped her mouth off with her napkin. "Yeah, you do. But this one is BIG. I mean, this one is against the school's rivals, so you know it's gonna be huge." Jane said then glanced over at her other friend as he sat down. "Hey Shawn."

Shawn was the captain of the football team and he played half back on the team. Quite honestly, he was the best on the damn team. He made the big plays happen for their team. Well, him and Tommy when Tommy didn't have to sit out of a game for being a dumb ass and getting into trouble. But Shawn also played on the boy's basketball team as a power forward. He was a big asset to the basketball team as well. Standing at 6'1 with shoulder length, sleek blonde hair & dark blue eyes, Shawn was fast but he was also muscular. So he could not only kill ya with his speed, but his strength as well.

"Sup Jane. Hey Maura." Shawn replied as he took the seat next to Maura. "You ready for your game tonight, Rizzoli?" He teased.

"Am I ever not ready for a game?" Jane replied as she popped a french fry in her mouth.

"True." Shawn said smirking. "Just wanted to make sure. Maura, you gonna be there cheering her on?"

"As I asked Jane, don't I always go to her games?" Maura said, rolling her hazel eyes playfully and shaking her head at him. As her eyes scanned across the room, they lit up as the fell on a particular someone. "Oh my, there's- umm… I'll be right back." Maura quipped as she hurried off to the other side of the lunchroom, Jane's eyes following her.

"Who's she running off to?" Jane asked Shawn.

"Hell if I know. So what's up with you and Mr. Quarterback?" Shawn asked in a teasing tone.

Jane rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "There is nothing and I mean NOTHING going on between me and Hunter."

"How'd you know I meant that particular quart back? I could've been talking about Donnie." Shawn said smirking.

"Because you're always trying to set me up with him, and you should know by now that I do not, and I repeat, do NOT like him!" Jane stated, standing up to throw her lunch away, catching Maura across the lunchroom talking to- "Tommy? Why the hell is she talking to Tommy?"

Shawn hurried up out of his seat and stood in front of Jane. "Gee, I don't know Jane; let's go grab a drink, yeah?" Shawn said, grabbing Jane's arm and trying to pull her away.

"What's going on Shawn?" Jane asked, placing her hand on her hip.

Shawn sighed and shook his head before licking his lips. "Nothing. However, I am extremely thirsty. And I'm supposed to meet Stephanie by my locker in just a few minutes. Would you please come with me? She said something about wanting to see your crazy ass." Shawn teased, pulling on Jane's arm again, only this time Jane followed him.

Stephanie was Shawn's girlfriend of 2 years. They started dating at the end of 8th grade year. Stephanie, a breathtakingly beautiful 15 year old with long chestnut flowing locks & ocean blue eyes, was as goofy as they come. She was smart, but she was also very ditzy. Even more ditzy than Maura. And that was something Jane hardly came across. Maura was very odd at times, but Stephanie, Stephanie was odd ALL the time.

"So how is that girlfriend of yours?" Jane asked, leaning against the soda machine, which would be taken out soon. They school board decided that vegetable juice, fruit juice and water were far more suitable for students than soda, so they decided to take them out. So within a few weeks, the soda machines would be gone and be replaced with juice machines.

"She's good. She just said it sucks that we have 1st lunch and she has 3rd because now we hardly ever see her. Well, I see her everyday but you and Maura never see her." Shawn replied, putting $1.50 in the machine and pressing the button for Mountain Dew. "Her dad's still giving her a lot of shit though for dating me."

"Still? God, you would've thought he would've gotten over that by now. It's been two years." Jane said, taking Shawn's place and placing another $1.50 in the soda machine, then selecting a Pepsi.

"You would've thought, right?" Shawn shook his head then they both started walking down the hallway towards Shawn's locker. "He still won't give it up though. He's always like 'Stephanie, that boy is just trying to get in your pants.' Bullshit man. I haven't even tried to do anything like that with her. I care about her too much."

Jane shook her head then looked back towards the cafeteria. "Why do you think Maura is talking with Tommy?"

"Because he's your brother. And she may be asking him about your birthday." Shawn said shrugging his shoulders. They approached his locker and he checked his watch. "She's late."

"Oh my God, by a minute Shawn. Geez, she'll be here." Jane said, playfully shoving him with her shoulder.

Shawn smiled then shook his head. "You're a real piece of work Rizzoli. Oh, and I asked you about Hunter because he asked me about you." Shawn explained.

"Shawn, I really don't care. I really don't like him."

"But you hardly know him! Look, just one date, is all I'm asking you to do. Just go on one date with him, and if you still feel the same way, you can deck me." Shawn offered, hoping that Jane would agree. But, much to his dismay, she didn't.

"I'd feel the same way about him if we went on a million dates. I would feel the same way if he took me on a trip to Paris and we had a fantastic time. I do not like him. He's a pompous, arrogant asshole. No thank you."

"But he's nothing like that though" Shawn tried again, earning a glare from Jane. "He really isn't. That's just his way of doing things. He's too shy to ask you out, so he makes an ass of himself. He doesn't really, mean to it just happens. That's Hunter for you."

Jane seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope. Still no."

Shawn sighed, giving up until a thought flashed through his mind. "What if I tell you about what's going on with Maura & Tommy?"

Jane felt a hitch catch in her throat as she looked at him. _Is he serious or is he playing me just so I'll do what he wants me to?_ Jane thought to herself. But Shawn had never played her before. Every time he had said he would do something, he did. He had never once let her down. "Why you gotta do that?"

"What?" Shawn laughed.

"You know something about Maura & Tommy, why don't you just tell me?" Jane softly asked, hoping to get him to tell her without having to go through the torture of a date with Hunter.

"I won't tell you unless you promise me you'll go on one date with-"

"With you? Shawny, I thought you loved me?" A high pitch voice called from behind Shawn.

Shawn turned around and saw Stephanie walking towards him with a smile on her face. "Hey baby girl." He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey. So what's this about you trying to get Jane to go on a date with you?" Stephanie asked quizzically.

"No, not me babe. I'm trying to get her to go with Hunter." Shawn answered and Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Oh Lord."

"That's what I'm saying." Jane said laughing.

"But Janie, I may have some info you want." Shawn reminded her, and Jane's face fell.

"What info?" Stephanie asked tilting her head to the side.

"Nothing ba-" Shawn started until he was cut off.

"Stephanie! Do you know what's going on with Maura and my brother?" Jane asked excitedly, hoping to get a real answer from Stephanie.

Instead, Stephanie looked just as confused as Jane was. "Something's going on between Maura and-"

"Tommy! What's up man?" Shawn yelled out to Tommy, who was walking up beside Jane.

"Hey Shawn. Stephanie." Tommy said then turned to look at his sister. "Hey sis. Maura's looking for you."

"Oh really? Well she should know we come over here everyday to meet up with Stephanie." Jane replied a little too harshly.

"Alright. Damn. You on your period or something?" Tommy teased before walking off.

Jane just rolled her eyes and turned back around to a very shocked Stephanie & Shawn. "You okay, Jane?" Shawn asked but instantly regretting it when he saw the look in Jane's eyes. Jane pushed past them and rushed into the bathroom.

Jane stopped at the bathroom sink and just stood there. She didn't know what the hell was going on with her right now, but she was sure she didn't like it. Why should she be so pissed off that her best friend is talking to her brother? Probably because she knows just how her brothers can be. As manipulative and sneaky as any other bastard out there. And she didn't want to see Maura getting hurt. Jane sighed heavily and the turned on the cool water, splashing some of it in her face.

She heard the door open but didn't pay any mind to it. She turned the water off then reached to get a paper towel so she could wipe off her face. Once she did and she opened her eyes, she wished she never came into the bathroom.

"Oh look girls; it's the Queen of the Dykes." Jessica, head of the cheerleading squad quipped, causing her three sidekicks to laugh along with her.

Jane just rolled her eyes and tried to push her way out of the bathroom, but one of the sidekicks named Ashley stood in her way. "Move Ashley." Jane sneered, glaring at the much smaller girl.

"Yeah, that's right. Go run back to your brainiac girlfriend, you dyke." Jessica cackled along with her friends.

At that moment, something inside Jane snapped and she turned around and punched Jessica as hard as she could in her mouth, causing her to fall to the ground. Realizing what she had done, Jane ran from the bathroom and down the hall, away from the cafeteria. She ran out the school doors and didn't stop. She wouldn't be able to play the game tonight. She knew that for a fact. This was the 2nd time she had went and did something stupid, like punch someone, and she knew coach would make her sit this game out.

"Fuck!" Jane screamed out as she came to a halt. She swore a few more times under her breath before looking up and realizing that she was at the park near her home. She hadn't realized that she ran that far away from school. Sighing heavily, Jane walked over to the bush near the bench and picked up her basketball that her and Frankie hid there. They've been hiding it in the same spot ever since they first started coming to the park when they were 7 & 6.

Jane started her own practice for the game she _would've _been playing tonight, had she not hit Jessica's snob ass in the face. Jane couldn't quite put her finger on what made her so pissed off. She knew it couldn't have been because of the whole "dyke" thing. Every bitch in school that wasn't on the basketball team or Stephanie or Maura, called her a dyke. She just learned to get used to it. She knew it wasn't because Jessica mentioned something about her running off, because many times, she did walk away to avoid getting in trouble. But something that Jessica had said this time just ticked her off.

Off in her own little world, Jane didn't realize when someone else walked onto the basketball court. "Hey Jane." The voice said.

Jane turned around and was shocked to see who it was. "Hey"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

_And here's the fourth chapter! I hope you all enjoy that little cliffhanger there! Ha-ha! So who do you all think it is? Is it Maura? How about Shawn? Maybe even Stephanie? Or is it the mysterious Hunter who has yet to make an appearance? _

_Reviews are appreciated and wanted!_


	5. Are They or Aren't They?

Ch.5

"Hey Jane." The voice said.

Jane turned around and was shocked to see who it was. "Hey." She replied, pulling her hair back behind her ear. "You following me or something?" Jane asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.

The other person laughed & shook their head. "No. Well something like that. I saw you run out from school and Shawn asked me to come after you. Make sure that you were alright and everything." The voice explained.

Jane sucked her teeth & looked everywhere but at him. She really hadn't wanted to see him today. Especially now since the incident with Jessica happened, which she was still sure she wouldn't be able to play the biggest game of the year because of it. "Well I'm perfectly fine. So you wasted your time coming after me, Hunter." Jane sneered.

Hunter sighed heavily & ran his long fingers through his short, spiky, blonde hair. It wasn't that Hunter was a bad looking guy. Because if Jane was completely honest with herself, Hunter was absolutely gorgeous. He had broad shoulders, a long neck, beautiful brown eyes, and he was fit & tall. The 16 year old was handsome. Only problem was that he knew he was good looking, and great at sports. "Look Jane, I-" Hunter started, licking his dry lips and looking up towards the sky. "I know that you don't particularly care for me too much, not that I can blame you. I can make a complete ass of myself at times." He was going to continue but stopped once he had realized that Jane wasn't paying him any attention. "Maura was worried about you Jane. She was going to come after you but Shawn stopped her. He & I both said that she didn't need to miss class. It took some serious convincing from Shawn; well he actually practically had to grad her ass to class." Hunter laughed and Jane just stared at him.

"You could've just left me here alone with my thoughts." Jane replied defiantly.

"Yeah, I could've. But then if I would've went back there and told Maura that I just left you here, she would've kicked my ass." Hunter pointed out. "She is your best friend, ya know. She cares about you."

Jane rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't need you to tell me she's my best friend, I think I'm aware of this."

"Are you also aware of what's going on with her and Tommy?" Hunter asked, looking down at the ground. When he looked up at her, he noticed the puzzled look on her face.

"What about them?" Jane questioned, shifting her weight to her left foot, her hair blowing in the rare summer breeze.

Hunter took in a deep breath before replying, "They're dating Jane."

xxx….xxx….xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…xxx…

Jane busted through the school doors and noticed that it was after the last period of the day. Pushing through the wave of students that had crowed the hallways, most chatting at their lockers, Jane turned down the west hallway.

"Jane wait!" Hunter called after her, trying to push his was through the crowd as well, but not having much luck since he was not as small as Jane's slender figure. He sighed heavily, realizing he wouldn't be able to stop her from what she was about to do.

Jane had saw him straight away, his back turned to her, standing with a group of his "stoner" friends & laughing like an idiot. One of his friends, that Jane recalled was named Austin, spotted Jane coming towards them and tried to get Tommy's attention. But it was too late. Jane came up from behind him and pushed him up against his locker.

"What the hell!" Tommy exclaimed, fear evident in his eyes as they connected with Jane's dark orbs. "Jane-" Tommy started before being cut off by Jane.

"Who the hell do you think you are dating her? Who gave the right to date my best friend?" Jane asked angrily.

"Janie-" He tried again, but was once again cut off by his older sibling.

"How the hell would you feel if I dated one of your friends?"

"I wouldn't care! It's not that big a deal!" Tommy said, his own anger rising. "Besides, what's it to you anyhow? And when the hell do you come off trying to tell me who I can and can't date?"

"I know you Tommy! I know what you're gonna do to her!" Jane responded, her fist clenched, threatening Tommy to try something stupid.

"Jane-" Tommy started before sucked his teeth. "Janie, to be perfectly honest with you... We aren't even dating." Tommy confessed, hoping that his sister believed him.

Jane placed her hand on her left hip. "You're not dating?" Jane asked, hardly convinced.

"No." Tommy answered. "I mean... she's cool and all but... She's kinda weird, ya know?"

Jane breathed heavily then shook her head as she let go of Tommy. "Don't lemme find out you're lying." Jane threatened, making Tommy raise up his hands.

"Jane?" A soft voice called from behind her.

Jane closed her eyes and sucked in a breath at the sound of her voice & turned around.

Maura's eyes darted back and forth from Tommy to Jane. She hoped & prayed that Tommy hadn't let Jane in on her plan. "Jane-"

"Are you and Tommy dating, Maur?" Jane interrupted, looking back at her brother.

"What?" Maura said, clearly shocked by the absurd question. She stared at her tall, raven-haired friend and shook her head. "No! God no! He's disgusting."

"Yeah and you're a real treat, princess!" Tommy yelled out to Maura.

Maura just flipped him the bird then turned her attention back to Jane. "Why on earth would make you think I dated Tommy?" Maura asked, making a face.

Jane shrugged her shoulders then glanced around Maura, searching for Hunter's tall frame. "A dumbass gave me some incorrect information." Jane said, still searching for Hunter.

"Uh oh. Sounds like that particular someone is in a hell of a lot of trouble." Maura replied, trying to follow Jane's gaze. "Who are you looking for?" Maura asked.

"Hunter." Jane answered.

Maura gave a disgusted look and shuddered. "Hunter, really? Why?"

"He's the one who suggested that you & Tommy were dating." Jane replied, still searching for Hunter's blonde hair. He was quite easy to spot when Jane saw him across the hall not fifty feet away from her. She excused herself from Maura and hurried over to Hunter. When she reached him, she flicked him hard in his ear.

"Ouch!" He yelled out and turned around, earning a slap across his face from Jane. "Ow, what the hell, Jane!"

"That's for fucking lying to me about my brother & Maura, you ass." Jane informed him and his eyes grew wide.

"I seriously thought that they were together." He tried but Jane shook her head.

"Bullshit you did. You knew I'd be pissed off if they were together. You were trying to get me mad and have come crawling back to you, all hurt and upset. But it didn't work, huh Hunter?" Jane taunted, walking back towards Maura. Maura just stood there smiling, clearly amused. "Shut up, Maur."

Maura laughed and shook her head. "So Hunter "The Asshole" tried telling you I was "dating" your brother? Gross."

"Yeah I know." Jane said, grabbing Maura's stuff from her hands. "And I was dumb enough to believe him, yeah?"

"Well, I'm sure he was very convincing." Maura joked, tossing her hair back in a fit of laughter.

"Please shut up, Maura." Jane said, trying not to laugh. It was pretty funny though if you thought about it. Jane actually believed Hunter, whom she hated, when she knew that if Maura EVER were to date Tommy, she would know.

"I mean.. Come on Jane. I dislike your brothers just as much as you do. I would NEVER date either of them. And you seriously bought that from Hunter?" Maura said, still laughing.

"I was kind of upset. And he... _seemed_ sincere." Jane admitted.

"Yeah. The only time that man'll be sincere is on his death bed." Maura replied, shaking her head.

"Well, let's just get home. If we're lucky, we can get home before my idiot brother's & can grab a bite to eat before the game."

"Ooh, you still get to play?" Maura asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah. Coach said that he'd let it slip this one time only. But if it happens again, I'm fucked." Jane answered, smiling happily. "I'm just glad that Coach Carson is so understanding. If we still had Coach Jackson from middle school-"

"Ha! You would've been dropped the first week!" Maura laughed, and Jane just glared at her.

"You know, you are very lucky that you're my best friend, otherwise I'd drop your ass." Jane teased as Maura laughed again and linked their arms together.

"You wouldn't drop me. You love me too much." Maura pointed out, laying her head on Jane's shoulder.

"Yeah, you think."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Once they reached the Rizzoli residence, Maura hopped onto the soft, blue couch. "So when's your mother getting home?" Maura asked, slipping her shoes off and setting them under the coffee table.

"Around 4:30. Pop won't be home until 7:45." Jane answered, handing Maura a root beer that she grabbed from the fridge, then sat down next to Maura on the couch.

"So he'll miss the first half of your game, again?" Maura assumed, getting a nod from Jane in response. Maura smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Jane."

"No big deal. I mean, it's not like he can help his job, ya know?" Jane said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I know that Jane... But I also know it hurts you when he isn't able to make it." Maura pointed out, pulling her legs behind her so that she could sit on them.

Jane just shrugged her shoulders again. "It's alright. At least he's there for the end of the game." Jane replied, picking at her already short fingernails. Jane sighed as she looked at Maura's school books. "What's for homework tonight?" Jane asked, grabbing Maura's algebra book.

"Ugh, pages 129-150." Maura responded, getting a "What the hell" look from Jane. "Dumbass Alex had to run his mouth all period, so Mr. Levias got pissed and assigned everyone that for homework."

"God, I'd just LOVE to beat the hell out of Alex somedays." Jane ranted, combing her hair back with her fingers. "And Mr. Levias needs to go jump off a cliff or on a dick!" Jane continued, causing Maura to laugh at the last comment. "What? Everyone in the damn school knows he's gay! With his high pitch ass voice and shaking his ass everywhere he walks."

"You're terrible." Maura laughed, smacking Jane lightly on her arm. "Hmm.. But we need to start on this homework, Jane."

"I don't get it! It makes my damn head hurt!" Jane said, rubbing her temples. "See? My head already hurts and we haven't even started yet."

"Jane, do me a favor." Maura started, waiting for Jane's nod. "Calm the hell down and just relax. We don't have to start on it until later if you'd like." Maura offered, getting a sigh of relief from Jane.

"Thank God! I hate algebra. It's senseless." Jane claimed, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Say, since we're waiting until later to do homework, wanna go to the park so I can kick your ass in basketball?" Jane offered, smirking at Maura.

"Ugh, why? You beat me at everything. Well except math, which I excel in." Maura smirked, earning a slight push from Jane.

"Shut up and get your shoes back on." Jane demanded, slipping on her basketball shoes.

"Well maybe you should ask me nicely and I might." Maura reasoned, Jane giving her a side glance.

"Fine. Would you please do me the great honor of playing basketball with me?" Jane requested, rolling her eyes.

Maura just smiled and slipped on her tennis shoes. "Why of course Jane! I'd love to join you in a game of ball!" Maura replied, giving Jane a big smile. "See? Isn't it nice to use proper language?"

Jane sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about you Miss Isles." Jane said, allowing Maura to walk out of the door first then followed behind her.

.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"See? I told you I would win!" Jane cheered, holding the game ball in her hand then spinning it on her finger.

"You mean your team won, Jane?" Maura informed, earning a glare from Jane.

"You still did great sweetie! I'm so proud of you!" Angela congratulated, kissing her daughters cheeks.

"Thanks ma." Jane said, before remembering what she wanted to ask her mother. "Hey ma? Where was pop? I thought he got off at 7:45?" Jane asked, pulling her hair down from her ponytail. Jane and Maura both noticed Angela tense up for a moment before speaking again.

"Oh, he just had to umm.. He had to finish a few things up with his client. Something about the main water valve busting or something." Angela said with a dismissive wave.

Jane & Maura glanced at each other then shrugged their shoulders. "Okay then, ma. I'm going to go jump in the shower." Jane said before running of towards the bathroom, leaving Maura to stand there awkwardly.

"So... Mrs. Rizzoli-"

"Please Maura, call me Angela." Angela pleaded with a gentle smile. "That was some game huh?" Angela said as she walked into the kitchen. "Jane has always been a great player!" She boasted, picking up the house phone. "Does pizza sound okay to you Maura? Oh and your mother did say it was alright that you spent the evening with Jane correct?" Angela asked, looking for the number to a local pizza place.

"Um yes pizza is fine. And my mother said it was fine that I stayed over here." Maura answered, sitting at the kitchen table. "Where's Frankie & Tommy?"

"Ah, those boys. I swear, they can be trouble." Angela said randomly before answering Maura's question. "Frankie is staying with that boy.. Hunter I think his name is. And Tommy is spending the evening with his cousin Craig."

Maura tensed by the mention of Craig's name. Craig was Jane's older cousin, and Maura had heard things from Jane about him. Jane told her things that no one else in her family knew. Maura was the only one that knew about it. But still, she figured that if Jane didn't speak to him, Tommy wouldn't either. Tommy did a lot of the things that Jane did. So it was a shock to Maura that he was hanging out with Craig.

"I didn't know that they were close." Maura mentioned.

"Oh they used to not be close, until recently that is. Craig stopped by once while Jane was at your house I think. Since then, they've been hanging out and everything. I think it's great! It's time that Tommy found someone he could hang out with." Angela said with a smile.

Maura gave her a fake smile before looking down at the floor. She pushed herself up from the table and walked out of the kitchen then went into Jane's room. She smiled at the memory she had of when she had first came into Jane's room. She remembered how she went into deep detail about how sharks & dolphins were different from one another. Maura shook her head as her fingers traced along the back of the black stallion that Maura had given Jane for her 10th birthday. Sighing lightly, Maura sat down on Jane's bed, feeling the silky green fabric against her fingertips. Maura loved Jane's room. It felt so warm, so comforting, and so full of life.

Lost in her thoughts, Maura didn't notice that Jane had entered the room with a towel on her head. "Well don't you look cozy on my bed?" Jane teased, causing Maura to nearly jump out of her skin.

"You scared me to death Jane!" Maura scolded, making Jane laugh.

"You should've seen your face Maur!" Jane laughed, sitting next to Maura on her bed. "It was priceless!"

Maura shook her head and playfully slapped Jane's shoulder. "You're an evil woman." Maura stated, poking Jane in her side, making her laugh louder. Maura knew that it would be a fun evening.

.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

A/N: Okay so at first... I did have it to where Maura & Tommy WERE dating. But when I realized you all were right about the whole thing about them dating in other stories, so I decided to change it. But I still wanted you all to think for a split second at the beginning that they were dating. I'm evil and twisted like that lol. Oh and sorry that it wasn't Maura at the beginning. Hope you all still enjoyed this chapter though! =) Thanks again for all the reviews, alerts & favorites! =)


	6. Today Was A Good Day

Ch.6

The next morning, Maura awoke to the sound of someone snoring. Shifting in the bed, she turned to her side to see that it was Jane who was snoring. Smiling to herself, Maura moved a strand of hair from Jane's face and just laid on her side, admiring her best friend for a moment. She looked at peace in her deep slumber, which made Maura smile. Jane was hardly ever at peace. She was normally yelling at her brothers or tormenting them. Maura shook her head at that thought as her eyes skimmed over Jane. Her body was all sprawled out on the bed. That was when Maura noticed that Jane's leg was curled around her own. Maura shook her head again and reached out to traces her fingers along Jane's arm. She rather enjoyed just laying there next to Jane. Jane made her feel like she belonged somewhere in this world. She made her feel wanted, even needed at times. Maura didn't quite understand or know how Jane made her feel that way, but she did. She guessed that it was just because Jane was her first real friend. The first person to care about her; well aside from her parents.

Maura quickly pushed the thoughts of her father out of her mind as Jane started to stir awake. Pulling back her arm to rest near her chest, Maura closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Jane opened her left eyes to see Maura facing her, appearing to be asleep. But Jane knew better. Maura was always up before her in the morning. "I know you're faking it, Maur." Jane said yawning.

Maura just smirked and opened her eyes. "How'd you know I was awake?"

"Because you're always up first, no matter what. You can go to sleep at 4 am in still wake up at the crack of dawn." Jane answered, stretching her arms out.

"For you information, Jane, I do not wake up at the crack of dawn. I wake up at 7:05." Maura corrected, rising to sit on Jane's bed.

"Still too early for me." Jane said, sitting up as well. "Why the hell do you in the time that you're awake? Watch me sleep?" Jane joked, throwing her legs over the side of her bed and stood up.

"Well no… Not the whole time. When I first woke up, I meditated for at least 30 minutes. Then I went to use your restroom and freshen up. Then I came back in here and laid down, which was when I watched you sleep." Maura informed, nodding her head as Jane stood there, bewildered.

"Okay then… I was joking about the whole you watching me sleep thing, but that's cool too… I guess." Jane said, walking into her closet. "Where are we going today?" Jane asked as she looked at her clothes.

"I was going to ask you about going to the park for a bit. And no, not _our_ park. The park near the river." Maura suggested.

"Damn, I was hoping I could beat your ass in basketball again." Jane said in a teasing tone.

"You beat me all the time, Jane. Well except for-"

"Hey! We swore we would never speak of that!" Jane interjected, throwing a pen at Maura, but missing her terribly.

"Really, Jane? You missed me by, like, two feet." Maura pointed out.

"Yeah, well if I really wanted to hit you with it, I would've. So what should I wear?" Jane asked, looking back towards her closet.

"Hmm… Well we could always go to the mall and shop for new clothes." Maura suggested, twirling her honey blonde hair. "Oh Jane! I wanted to tell you something."

"What? You got a gift card to Victoria's Secret for a free pair of underwear? Ooh, if you did, get those pretty pink silky thongs you were going to buy last time." Jane insisted, still looking through her clothes.

"Okay, A, I am not buying thongs. B, you don't get a gift card, you get a Sexy Little Rewards card. And C, no that was not what I was going to tell you." Maura said, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Then what were you going to tell me, Miss Isles?" Jane teased.

"Umm… you may want to sit down." Maura suggested, patting the space next to her.

"Why? Did someone die?"

"No, nothing that horrible Jane. Would you please sit down?" Maura urged, receiving a sigh from Jane.

Jane hesitantly came from her closet and sat down on her bed. "What is it?"

"Jane… Tommy is hanging out with Craig." Maura informed, looking down at her fingernails. She failed to notice Jane tense up.

"What? How'd you find that out?" Jane asked, worried.

"Your mother told me Jane." Maura responded.

"Has he been _here_?" Jane implored, biting down on her fingernails.

"I have no idea Jane. She didn't say. I just wanted you to know he's back in town." Maura said, taking Jane's hand in her own. "I'm here, okay?"

"Yeah I know it's just… Why? Why in the hell is he back?" Jane pondered, shaking her head.

Maura shook her head and licked her lips. A question was weighing on her mind that she wanted to ask Jane for a while now. "What happened with him Jane?" Maura asked quietly.

Jane held her breath for a moment as she looked at Maura. Did she really just ask that question? "Maura… We talked about this."

"No, we actually didn't. You said we should just forget about like us forgetting about me beating you that one time in basketball." Maura reminded her best friend.

"That was ONLY because I was sick and my knee was bothering me really bad!" Jane argued playfully.

Maura shook her head smiling then sighed. "Jane… Really… What happened?" Maura asked again, hoping Jane would tell her. She watched as Jane fidgeted with her fingers and bite her lips, a habit Jane had when she was anxious. "Jane?"

Jane sighed and held her head down. "Maura… please don't make me tell you." Jane pleaded.

When Jane said it like that and looked the way she did, Maura couldn't make Jane say anything. So instead, she just replied, "Well if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"I know." Jane nodded, pulling her hand away from Maura's and standing back up. "So… Are we gonna go to the mall and buy new clothes or stay here all day, contemplating on what I should wear?"

… … … … … … … … At The Mall … … … … … … … …

"So should I get a pair of denim shorts or the black pair of shorts?" Jane asked, holding both up to her waist. Maura was intensely focused on a cute baby blue halter-top with sequins on it that she didn't hear Jane's question. So Jane tried again. "Maur?" She said, poking Maura in her side.

"Hmm?" Maura replied, looking up at Jane and the two pairs of shorts in her hand. "The black ones are cuter. Plus they'd show off your long legs, which would do you good."

"Why? Because I'm gonna meet some hot guy at the park?" Jane quipped with a knowing look in her eyes. "Come on, Maur."

"Well, you never know! I mean… Maybe Donnie will be there." Maura reckoned, getting a sideways glance from Jane.

"Why would Donnie be there? Did you invite him?" Jane asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"No! Of course not. I was just stating that it is a public park and anyone could be there." Maura pointed out, looking at another halter-top, but this one was a deep purple with the word "Love" spelled out on it. "This is so cute! You should buy this to go with those shorts." Maura offered, handing the shirt over to Jane.

"Gee, I should. If only it were in my size." Jane said, showing the shirt to Maura.

Maura squinted her eyes at Jane before looked at the tag on the shirt. It was an extra large. "Oh dear. Sorry, Jane. I wasn't trying to imply that you wore that size. It's just the first one that I saw." Maura quickly explained, grabbing size Small, and then handing it to Jane. "Here you go, Jane,"

"Thanks. This one is sure to fit. Oh… I just hope it doesn't _shrink, _Maura." Jane said sarcastically, handing the shirt back to Maura, earning a mean glance from her.

"I'm going to murder you one day, Jane." Maura teased, picking out the right size, which was medium, and handed it over to Jane. Jane took the shirt from her then walked off towards the cash register, Maura shaking her head as she left. As Maura looked around the store, she saw a tall, tan, handsome figure making his way towards her. Her eyes instantly lit up as she recognized him "Randy! Hey!" Maura greeted, giving him a hug.

"Maura, how you doin?" Randy replied, giving her a once over. "You're looking good! Haven't seen you since 8th grade graduation." Randy said, his bright blue eyes scanning over Maura again.

"Yeah I know! You're looking pretty good, yourself." Maura said appreciatively as she noticed the tattoos on his arms and his muscular biceps. "You certainly have changed since then."

"Ha-ha, I can say the same about you." Randy smiled. "So, you here with a boyfriend?" Randy asked, scanning the store.

"No. I'm actually here with Jane. You remember her, right?" Maura said, pointing towards Jane's tall figure as she paid for her things.

"Oh yeah! Jane Rizzoli. Of course, I remember her. I can't believe you two are still bff's." Randy teased, bumping Maura with his shoulder playfully.

"Of course we are! Stick together through thick and thin." Maura said with a smile as she looked back at Randy. Randy had been one of her friend's in middle school, aside from Jane of course. But her and Randy weren't nearly as close as her and Jane were. Randy was mostly nice to her because of Jane. Now, it seemed that he really grew to like Maura. Allowing her eyes to roam over his toned body, Maura noticed how he had grown several inches in height and put on some muscle. He had also buzz cut his hair, where it used to be shaggy and brown. But the one thing that hadn't changed about him was his gorgeous blue eyes. "So, I haven't seen you much lately at Revere High. Where are you going to school?" Maura asked, repositioning her designer purse on her left shoulder.

"I'm actually about to get into Revere. I was going to a private school." Randy informed, nodding his head.

"Oh that's great!" Maura smiled.

Jane turned around after she bought her things and noticed Randy from middle school talking to Maura. She sighed inwardly and sulked over there, giving Randy a fake smile once she approached. "Hey Randy. What brings you here?" Jane asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I was actually here with my sister, Alana. You remember her, right Jane?" Randy asked, reminding Jane of his older sister Alana, who in 7th grade had nearly gave Jane a concussion by knocking her head into a locker.

"Of course, I remember her. How could I _ever_ forget her?" Jane replied sarcastically.

Randy smirked in response as he turned his attention back to Maura. "But I really should be getting back to her, so I'll catch you around Maura." Randy concluded, taking Maura's hand in his and kissing the top of it before walking off.

Jane fake gagged and rolled her eyes. "God, he's annoying as hell."

"How can you say that? I find him rather sweet." Maura said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh yes, sweet as candy." Jane said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Maura shook her head at Jane as they walked out of the store. "I know he can be…"

"An ass?" Jane interrupted.

"I wasn't going to say that but okay. But still… he's sweet to me." Maura pointed out.

"He'd be sweet to an old lady if he thought she'd sleep with him." Jane sneered, earning an annoyed glance from Maura, but Maura said nothing, not wanting to start an argument with Jane. "What'd he want anyways?" Jane asked, taking Maura's purse from her and placing it on her shoulder. "Did he want to borrow some money? Or maybe some spray tan?"

Maura tried to keep herself from laughing at the last comment Jane made. Keeping her cool, Maura replied, "No. He wanted to tell me that he was going to be starting at Revere soon."

"Oh gee! Aren't we lucky?" Jane quipped, shaking her head. "Maybe Alana will go there too and this time I can bash _her_ head into a locker."

Maura shook her head and sighed. "Must you always be so violent?"

"Um, I'm not always violent. But if the bitch wants to start shit with me, I'm sure as hell not backing down." Jane responded as they walked out of the mall and to Maura's new car that her mother bought her as a 16th birthday present. "So are we going to the park now?" Jane asked, earning a curious glance from Maura.

"Don't you want to go home so you can change?" Maura offered.

"Uh, no. I can change in the car." Jane said, hopping into the backseat.

"Jane, you cannot be serious!" Maura said, climbing into the driver's seat and closing the door. "What if we get pulled over?" Maura worried as she heard Jane sigh from the backseat.

"We won't get pulled over, Maur. Just let's get going so we don't get there as soon as all the other family's do and someone takes our special spot." Jane pleaded.

Maura looked back at her using her rearview mirror. 'What happened to you saying that no one else knew about our secret spot?" Maura questioned, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah, okay you were right, those guys were totally stalking us last time, can we please go now?" Jane said, as she threw off her shoes. Maura just shook her head and turned the car on before pulling out of the mall parking lot.

… … … … … … … … At the Park… … … … … … … …

"See? I told you that we wouldn't get pulled over." Jane said as her and Maura made their way to their "secret" spot, which really wasn't much of a secret. Anyone could see it, it wasn't as if it was concealed or anything. The only thing that was special about it was you had a great view of the river from that location, and you could hear the water crashing against the rocks, which was rather comforting.

"Well you're lucky we didn't get pulled over after that little stunt you pulled." Maura stated, following close behind Jane so she wouldn't fall on any rocks.

"There was a glass bottle in the road and I wasn't sure that you saw it! That's why I pulled the steering wheel." Jane explained, pulling her hair back behind her ears then smiled happily once she realized that their spot was unoccupied. "Thank the Lord! We have our spot all to ourselves today." Jane exclaimed as she pulled a beach towel out from Maura's tote bag and laid it out. "Can you believe how warm it is today?"

"No, I actually can't. But I guess I should've figured that it'd still be warm in November, considering "global warming" and all." Maura said, sitting down next to Jane on the towel, holding out her hand as Jane placed a handful of gummy bears into her hand.

"Yeah, well you won't believe this. We're supposed to get snow next weekend." Jane stated, popping two gummy bears into her mouth.

Maura just looked at her, bewildered. "You're kidding me?" Jane shook her head no. "We just bought more shorts & tank tops and you're telling me that we're going to have to go _back_ to the store so we can get winter clothes?" Maura asked, quite happy at the fact that they would have to go back to the mall.

Jane grimaced at the fact and groaned inwardly. "Man… That sucks! Please tell me that we don't have to go back to that one store where that cashier wouldn't stop flirting with you? It was gross; I mean the man was at least in his 40's." Jane pointed out, eating two more gummy bears then handing Maura another handful as she held out her hand.

"Fine. We don't have to go back to that store as long as _you_ promise we won't go back to the sport's store." Maura declared, earning a surprised glance from Jane.

"But I love that store! Come on, Maur- Why not?" Jane exasperated.

"The man at the counter wouldn't stop staring at your ass and your boobs. Completely disgusting and uncomfortable." Maura said, eating a gummy bear.

"Ugh… fine. It's a deal. No shoe store for you and no sport's store for me." Jane accepted and laid back on the towel, enjoying the warm weather. "And please, if you see Randy again, give me a sign or something to tell me to run the hell away as fast as I can." Jane said, causing Maura to laugh. Opening her left eye, Jane playfully smacked Maura. "I'm so not kidding, Maur. I will punch his ass in the face if he brings up his sister again." Jane said seriously.

"Okay fine." Maura agreed, a thought coming to her head. "I'll just flip you the bird when he comes by, k?" Maura joked, earning another smack from Jane. Laughing, Maura laid down next to Jane and exhaled. "It really is a pretty day out here, huh?" Maura said, hearing Jane hum in response. "I love laying right here. You can hear the water so clearly and the air is so refreshing." Maura continued, closing her eyes as she let the heat warm her face.

"I just like it because this is where we can come to just chill. Just you and me. We don't have to worry about no parents or brothers-"

"Or cousins or ex boyfriends." Maura added.

"Right. Just you and me." Jane said.

"You & I." Maura corrected, getting another smack from Jane.

"I hate it when you correct me." Jane groaned.

"Well I hate it when you forget how to speak correctly." Maura teased, feeling another smack against her leg. "Okay, if you don't stop, I will be forced to tickle you." Maura threatened. Jane just smacked her again in response. Shaking her head, Maura pushed herself up off the ground then straddled Jane & tickled her side.

"No! Maura- S- S- Stop it!" Jane laughed loudly and squirmed, trying to get out from underneath Maura.

"Not until you say sorry for abusing me!" Maura taunted, still tickling Jane.

"N- N- Never!" Jane declared, still laughing. Not being able to take it anymore, Jane just gave up. "Okay I'm sorry!" Jane blurted out, pushing Maura off from on top of her and onto the towel where Maura was previously laying. Maura laughed this time, her eyes tearing up from her laughter.

"You should've seen your face, Jane!" Maura laughed.

Jane shook her head and laughed herself. She loved her best friend, even though she was rather crazy. "You're _so_ gonna get it later." Jane threatened, pulling up a piece of grass and throwing it at Maura. Maura returned the favor by throwing a handful of gummy bears at Jane. "Ah! My gummy bears!" Jane screamed out, picking up her gummy bears and blowing them off. Oh yeah, Maura was _definitely _going to get it later.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N: So this was a pretty fun chapter. For me to write and for you all too, hopefully. I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites & alerts! It really does mean a whole lot to me! =)


	7. Nightmares & A Kiss

Ch.7

Later that night, Maura laid in Jane's bed on her side, lightly running her fingers through Jane's thick curls. She had found it quite hard to fall asleep, her mind was running and so many thoughts were going through her head and she couldn't stop it. So instead of fighting her insomnia, Maura just gave in and decided to play with Jane's hair while she was asleep. It was going on 3:30 am and Maura found herself still unable to fall into a deep sleep. Sighing heavily, Maura found herself bringing her hand down to rest atop of Jane's warm flesh. Comforted by the feeling of Jane's warm, soft skin, Maura smiled to herself and laid her head back against the plush pillow. Feeling her eyes getting heavy, Maura closed her eyes and was dosing off into a slumber when Jane started kicking in her sleep.

Her eyes flying back open, Maura stared at Jane, whose face looked quite frightened, so Maura tried to shake her awake. But that just seemed to make it worse. Jane started flinging her arms around and cried out. "Jane! It's okay, Jane!" Maura cried, grabbing Jane's wrists and holding them against the bed to prevent Jane from accidentally hitting her in the face. Jane's eyes opened and she looked around the room frantically.

"Maura." Jane said as her eyes landed on her honey blonde friend and enveloped her into a hug.

"Shh, it's okay Jane." Maura whispered rubbing her hand up and down Jane's back. "It was only a nightmare. Nothing really happened." Maura continued, rocking Jane back in forth in her arms.

"I- It just scared me so much. It seemed so real." Jane cried against Maura's shoulder. She could feel her whole body shaking and she hated it. She hated it that _he_ haunted her in her nightmares still. Sighing heavily, Jane pulled back from Maura and wiped her eyes. "Maura…"Jane started, waiting for Maura to respond.

"Yes Jane?"

Taking in a deep breath, Jane licked her lips as she looked at her best friend. "You remember how you wanted to know about Craig?"

Maura's face fell and she shook her head. "Jane, we don't have to talk about it. It's okay." Maura reassured but this time it was Jane to shake her head.

"No… I want to tell you about it. Maybe if I just tell someone, it'll help me." Jane replied, looking down at her hands. Maura noticed Jane's scared look and took Jane's hands in hers. Jane gave her a small smile before exhaling. "It was three years ago at my cousin Tanya's sleepover for her 15th birthday. I was invited, of course, along with some of her high school friends. Craig and Danny were both home that evening, but they were supposed to let us girls do our own thing while they did theirs." Jane started, feeling a shiver go down her spine. "Anyhow umm… It was… Really late and umm… I was still up… Tanya and the other girls were asleep. I really had to use the bathroom, which was down the hall across from Craig's room. So I uh… I went to the bathroom. When I went to go back down to Tanya's room, Craig was standing in the hallway." Jane stopped for a moment, choking back the tears that were threatening to fall. She looked up at Maura for a moment, seeing the tears in her eyes as well.

She knew where Jane was headed with this story but felt as if she should let Jane get it all out. So Maura just nodded her head for Jane to continue on if she wanted to.

"So umm… like I said, Craig was there and… he offered for me to come in his room to play a game with him & Danny. Danny & I were almost as close as Tanya and I was, so I accepted. Only when I went into Craig's room, Danny wasn't in there." Jane choked, a tear streaming down her cheek. "Craig locked the door and pinned me against the floor and he… He…." Jane tried to get the words out but she couldn't. She knew that Maura knew what she was trying to say so she just skipped to the next part. "Well, Tanya noticed I was missing from her room… So she walked down the hallway and heard me crying in Craig's room. She opened up his door with the spare key that she stole. And when she saw what he was doing, she flipped. She pulled him off me and slapped him hard across his face before picking me up and pulling me into the bathroom. She stayed in there with me, rocking me back and forth; apologizing over & over again, like it was her fault or something." Jane scoffed and shook her head. "I never blamed Tanya for any of it. It wasn't her fault. But when she & I tried to go tell his parents, they didn't believe us. Craig had already beaten us to them. And he had lied and told them that _he_ walked in on _Tanya_ raping _me!_" Jane shook her head angrily & her nostrils flared, remembering that night. "That bastard had the audacity to say it was Tanya and not him. Then, he told his parents that Tanya was a lesbian. My aunt & uncle being the Catholics they are kicked her out. They did not believe in that kind of thing. And as for me, they never spoke to me ever again." Jane concluded her story, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"My parents never questioned what had gone on that night. They had heard my Aunt & Uncles side of the story and believed them. I never told them what _really_ happened. I guess I was just too afraid that they wouldn't believe me either." Jane said, wiping her nose with a Kleenex.

Maura just sat that, in shock at what had happened to her best friend. "Why didn't you tell me until now?" Maura asked kindly, not wanting to upset Jane.

"I was ashamed. Hell I still am. I still feel like it's my fault. I should've never believed him when he said that Danny was in his room. I was just too young and naïve." Jane answered, shaking her head.

Maura felt angry at the fact that Jane felt responsible for what happened to her. "Now you listen to me, Jane Rizzoli. What happened to you that night was in no way your fault! You couldn't have possibly known that your cousin, some one you trusted, would do something like that to you! You are not responsible for that! Do you understand me?" Maura said, taking Jane by the shoulders and making Jane look at her. Jane nodded her head in response and fell into Maura's open arms. Maura hugged Jane tightly and rocked her back & forth. "I don't understand how you could possibly think that that horrible thing was your fault, Jane."

Jane didn't reply, she just laid her head against Maura's chest, listening to her comforting heartbeat. It made her feel better, having Maura hold her like this. It also made her feel better that she finally confided in her best friend about what had happened to her. Jane let out a deep breath before nuzzling into Maura's neck, breathing in her faint scent of vanilla and strawberries. "You smell good. What are you wearing?" Jane asked, her face still in Maura's neck.

Maura laughed from the feel of Jane's breath on her neck before she responded. "Umm, it's a new perfume that Victoria's secret came out with. You like?" Maura asked, laughing again to herself at Jane's breath on her neck.

"Yes I do! It smells delicious." Jane replied, sniffing Maura's neck again. Without thinking, she let her lips gently graze Maura's neck. Hearing a soft moan coming from Maura's lips, Jane moved to the column of Maura's throat and kissed her there. As she pulled back and looked into her friend's hazel eyes, she saw something in them that she had never saw before. Desire. Her breathing heavy, Jane acted on impulse and kissed Maura gently on her lips, half-expecting Maura to pull back, and surprised when she didn't. Instead, Maura repositioned herself so that she was straddling Jane and pulled her face towards her, deepening the kiss.

As the reality of the situation dawned on Jane, she quickly pulled back and moved from underneath Maura, pressing her hand against her mouth. "Umm… I'm sorry… I…" Jane stammered, at a loss for words. Feeling flustered, Jane grabbed an extra blanket from her chair and darted out of the bedroom, leaving Maura by herself in her bedroom.

Maura sighed heavily and laid back on Jane's bed. "Where the hell did that come from?" Maura wondered aloud to herself.

… … … … … … … The Next Morning… … … … … … …

Maura awoke early the next morning to birds chirping next to Jane's window. As Maura opened her eyes and looked over, realizing Jane wasn't there, the events of earlier that morning came running back. Maura closed her eyes as she remembered what had happened. Jane's breath tickling her neck, the tender kiss Jane placed on her throat, then they kiss they had both shared. Then, there was the last part of it. Jane running out of the room, not even wanting to confront what had just happened. Well Maura was going to see to it that she did this morning.

Pushing herself up and out of Jane's bed, Maura walked over to the drawer that Jane gave to her to store some of her clothes in and pulled out the pair of denim shorts and the "Love" t -shirt that she had bought yesterday. Closing the drawer back then opening another to find herself a pair of underwear and her favorite bra, she closed that drawer then walked into Jane's bathroom to shower then change.

After she finished showering and changing her clothes, Maura walked out of Jane's room and into the kitchen, where Jane was sitting at the table and drinking a small cup of coffee. "Morning Jane." Maura greeted, taking the seat next to Jane and noticed her tense up. "Something the matter?" Maura questioned, noticing Jane's change in demeanor.

Jane just shook her head and took a long draw of her coffee. Sitting her coffee back down against the table, Jane found herself drumming her fingers against the wood, something she rarely did unless she was really nervous. And the reason for her nervousness was sitting not 3 feet from her. Jane licked her suddenly dry lips and decided to try to make conversation. "You sleep okay?"

Maura sighed lightly and stretched her arms out. "I would've if you've would've stayed in there. You know I don't like to wake up by myself when I'm in unknown territory." Maura stated, making Jane laugh.

"Unknown territory." Jane mocked and shook her head at Maura. "Maur, you've been spending the night here since forever. How is my room 'unknown territory'?" Jane asked, slightly amused.

"What I mean is I never wake up when I'm staying her without you lying next to me Jane." Maura pointed out, looking at Jane.

Jane got lost momentarily in Maura's hazel eyes then tore her eyes away. She had to stop doing that. Maura's eyes had put her in trouble last night (rather earlier that morning) and she didn't plan to be in that situation again.

"Look Jane-" Maura started before being cut off by Jane.

"Maur… Let's just forget about it, okay? It was a mistake. I was tired and emotional and I'm really sorry that it happened, k?" Jane concluded, picking up her coffee cup and placed it in the sink, leaving Maura by herself at the table.

Maura opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She wanted to yell at Jane that she didn't feel like it was a mistake. It felt… Right… In a way. But she couldn't. Her words were stuck in her throat. Jane slowly turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Maura sighed heavily and felt the tears swell up in her eyes.

… … … … … … … One Week Later … … … … … … …

Jane groaned heavily as Mr. Levias told the class that they had extra homework for the evening since it was the weekend. All Jane wanted to do this weekend was throw snowballs at her brothers & Maura. Thinking about the white fluff, Jane looked outside at all the pretty snow that had laid out in a blanket overnight. It had snowed at least 3 inches and she couldn't wait to have snowball fights with her brothers & Maura. Jane's breath hitched in her throat as she thought about her best friend. They were talking again after the whole "kiss" incident. But it didn't seem like it used to be. Jane blamed herself fully for that. But no matter how many times Jane apologized and Maura assured Jane that it was all right, the feeling didn't go away. It still felt like they were little kids again, just getting to know each other for the first time. And Jane hated it. The bell rang; signaling the end of school and Jane jumped up out of her seat then ran over to where Maura stood.

"So, Maur, I was thinking this weekend you could come by and we could watch those chick flicks you love so much and drink hot cocoa?" Jane suggested, leaning on Maura's desk.

"I would've loved to Jane… but-" Maura started.

"But? But what? You're mother isn't flying you both to Switzerland again is she?" Jane asked sadly.

"No. We're not doing that again for a while." Maura replied, assuring her best friend with a warm smile. "No, I have a date tomorrow evening." Maura announced, picking up her books then walking out of the classroom, leaving Jane stunned.

"A date? Who you going on a date with?" Jane asked, feeling curious and a slight bit jealous. "_Wait, what? Jealous?"_ Jane thought to herself, shaking her head.

"Randy." Maura answered, a smile spreading across her face. "We're going to do dinner and a movie." Maura informed, still smiling.

Jane couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach at the mere mention of Randy's name. She had forgotten that the creep had started school there only two days ago. "_And already he's making a move in on my best friend." _Jane thought. "I didn't realize you two were so chummy." Jane sneered, but Maura didn't notice Jane's tone.

"Well, I wouldn't say we were chummy. We're just going on a date together." Maura stated, her eyes lighting up as they spotted Randy across the room. "Oh there he is! Catch you in a bit Jane!" Maura called out to Jane as she ran towards Randy.

Jane felt her heart drop as he kissed Maura on her lips. She swallowed thickly as she watched them walk out of school, hand in hand.

A hand waving in front of her face brought her back from her thoughts. "You okay Jane?" Shawn asked, repositioning his backpack on his left shoulder.

"Huh? What? Yeah." Jane answered too quickly, her eyes still etched to where Maura & Randy had just left.

Shawn's eyes followed Jane's, and then he became confused when he noticed she was staring at nothing. "Uh Jane? You sure you're alright?" Shawn asked again.

"Yeah I'm fine Shawn!" Jane yelled, taking her anger out on Shawn and she immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, Shawn. I'm just… On edge today, I guess." Jane lied, looking back towards the spot where Maura & Randy left.

Shawn sighed, catching her gaze again and shook his head. "You want to come to my house to talk about it, Jane?" Shawn offered, trying to make Jane look at him. When she finally did, she shrugged her shoulders.

"You probably don't want to hear me whining about pointless shit." Jane said, denying his offer.

"Hey, I was the one who offered to talk." Shawn pointed out, poking her lightly in her side, making her smile. "See! There's that smile I've been missing." Shawn said, smiling himself. "Come on. I'll even give you some pizza if you come over." Shawn bribed, wiggling his eyebrows, making Jane laugh at him

… … … … … … … At Shawn's house… … … … … … …

"So instead of hot & ready pizza, you're going to feed me leftovers?" Jane teased, smirking at Shawn.

"Well, I don't get paid until next week." Shawn stated, picking up the hot plate from the microwave then sat it on the coffee table for Jane, along with a Big Red. "So… You wanna talk about it?" Shawn said, biting the inside of his jaw.

Jane sighed heavily as she opened up her drink, taking a long draw from it before sitting it back down on the coaster. "Well… I did something kinda stupid." Jane started, taking a bite from her pizza.

Shawn just rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'You do a lot of stupid things. Like punching bitches in the face, cursing out the teachers and sneaking out of your house all the time." Shawn teased, earning a slap from Jane.

"The only sneaking out I do is over to Maura's, thank you much." Jane pointed out with her mouth full.

"Ha-ha, I know that Jane. I'm just saying, you do a lot of stupid shit. What's so different about this one?" Shawn asked, resting his feet on the edge of the wooden coffee table.

Jane took another bite before replying. "IkissedMaura." She answered, the words all coming out in a rush.

Shawn raised his eyebrows at her, failing to understand a word she just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand the words that just dropped out of your mouth along with a piece of that sausage on your pizza there. What'd you say?"

Jane huffed and swallowed her food. "Damn it Shawn, don't make me say it again." Jane pleaded, taking another long drink of her Big Red.

"I wouldn't have asked you to repeat yourself if I would've heard you, but I could barely understand what you said." Shawn admitted, crossing his arms and resting them against his legs.

Jane sighed and shook her head. "I kissed Maura." She replied, slower so that Shawn could understand her this time. She had her head down so she wouldn't be able to see his facial expression. She knew he'd probably be either disgusted or ashamed at her. But when he didn't reply, she lifted her head up to see a rather amused look on his face. "What?" Jane said, causing Shawn to burst out laughing.

"You kissed her? Fucking seriously? Oh my God. And I missed it? Damn it!" Shawn laughed, hitting his knee, although Jane didn't see what was go damned funny.

"What's funny about it Shawn? I kissed my best friend!" Jane yelled, hoping he'd see the seriousness of the situation.

"Yeah I know! That's what is so funny!" Shawn laughed, falling over on his side.

Jane shook her head and stood up. "Well I'm glad this is so amusing to you." Jane said, about to walk away from him until he grabbed her arm.

"Wait, Janie come on. It's just… Come on Jane. Sit down."

"No, not if you're gonna sit there and laugh at me." Jane declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please sit down." Shawn pleaded, smiling to himself as Jane sat back down next to him. "Why are you so mad that you kissed her?" Shawn asked.

"I'm not mad! I feel like an idiot! Best friends aren't supposed to kiss each other, Shawn! I mean, neither of us are gay! We like guys!" Jane pointed out, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize her point.

"Yeah so? There's a such thing called being bisexual!" Shawn said, earning a death glare from Jane. "I'm just saying." He added, raising his hands up in the air in defense. "But… Really, Jane, it isn't such a bad thing. I mean… A lot of real relationships start out as friendships."

"But I don't LIKE her like that, Shawn! She's my best friend!" Jane stated, shaking her head. "I've tried to apologize to her and tell her that it was just a mistake but… It doesn't seem like it's enough." Jane admitted, holding her head down.

"Well… Did she accept your apology?" Shawn asked, nodding his head after Jane had nodded hers in response. A thought came to his mind as he bit down on his bottom lip. "Have you considered that maybe she wanted it to happen, too? Maybe she didn't see it as a mistake." Shawn suggested, his back resting against his hard couch.

Jane just shook her head. "No. Maura… Maura is too conservative for that. She'd never even consider the fact of dating another girl. Hell neither would I… but… I just feel terrible about it. Then now her & Randy are dating." Jane sneered.

Shawn was surprised to hear that news. "Maura & Randy from middle school are dating?" Shawn asked, getting a nod from Jane. "I'm sorry, Jane." He apologized, rubbing her knee.

"Why in the hell are you sorry? You're not dating her."

"I know but… I know it's got to hurt you." Shawn said, but Jane shook her head.

"Nope. I just hope she doesn't get hurt." Jane admitted, only half lying about the part about not being hurt by it. "I'd hate to have to kill Randy for hurting her." Jane said in a threatening tone, causing Shawn to laugh.

"Yeah, I can see it now. "Teen found dead in locker. Police suspect that disgruntled best friend of Maura Isles, Jane Rizzoli, killed Randy Orton for hurting his girlfriend, Maura." Shawn laughed and shook his head. "Jane… I really think that you feel something for her. Otherwise you wouldn't feel like this."

"I don't _feel _like anything." Jane lied, wrapping her arms around herself. "I just hate that it's like we're ten years old again and first meeting."

Shawn sighed and scooted closer to Jane. "I think you should really maybe consider the fact that you have feelings for her. And don't say you don't because you never know, Jane." Shawn said before Jane could get a word out. "Just think about it, okay? Analyze your feelings or whatever it is you girls do. And if in the end, you find you don't have feelings for her, you can kick my ass, k?" Shawn offered.

Jane smirked and nodded her head. "It's a deal."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N: So… This chapter was also pretty fun to write. I know a lot of you may not be happy about Maura & Randy being together, but I PROMISE it is not a permanent thing. Believe me! I love Rizzles and I intend this to be Rizzles later on in the story! You guys just have to work with me on getting there! =)

Again, thank you all for the reviews and alerts & favorites! =)


	8. What'll Make You Fall

Ch.8

A week later, Jane sat on her bed, looking over her analysis paper that she made up. She shook her head as her eyes fell upon the loopy scrawl on the paper. She had listed five different people. That being Stephanie, Shawn, Donnie, Hunter & Maura. Under Stephanie's name, she wrote down the feelings that she felt about her, which just one came to mind. Insane. Stephanie made her feel like she was going nuts every time she talked to her. Smiling at the thought of the crazy brunette, Jane recalled a time last year at school when Stephanie had freaked out over Maura accidentally knocking over Stephanie's juice, causing it to spill all over Stephanie's new dress.

Shaking her head at the memory, Jane went to the next person on her list; Shawn. There were only two different feelings she felt about him; one being an attraction for him and the other feeling the sense of loyalty. Shawn had never lied to her. And she had the biggest crush starting in 9th grade when she had first met him. She thought back to last week when he had been such a great friend to her. He hadn't made a big deal out of the fact that she kissed Maura. He was actually the one who had suggested the idea of making this list in the first place.

Jane sighed heavily at the next person on the list; Donnie. Donnie gave her a weird vibe, yet there was something wildly mysterious about the tall, handsome figure. Jane couldn't really describe a certain feeling she felt towards him. He gave her mixed emotions. So that's what she had wrote down under his name.

Jane stood up from her bed and walked over to her dresser, grabbing her box of gummy bears, remembering the last time she had ate some, which was when she was at the park with Maura. Jane sighed at the thought of her best friend. She hadn't seen Maura in what had felt like months, but it was really just three days ago. Maura had been busy doing her work for school & hanging out with Randy. That's normally what most of her free time led her to doing, hanging out with him. Jane rolled her eyes at the thought of the tattooed asshole. She used to dislike Randy, but now she loathed him. He had pretty much taken her best friend from her, and it made her feel empty inside. And she didn't like it one bit.

Popping a couple of gummy bears in her mouth, Jane ruffled her hair then sat back down on her comfy bed, her eyes scanning back over her paper, scowling when she noticed the next person on her list. If there was one person she loathed more than Randy, it was Hunter. She had a strong sense of dislike for the tall blonde. She had to resist the sudden urge to punch him in his large nose every time she saw him. Along with hatred, she was also felt very annoyed by him. He made her angry, annoyed and frustrated at him all at the same time. He was lucky that Jane hadn't knocked his lights out yet.

Her eyes fell over the last person on her list and she felt her heart skip a beat just at the mere sight of her name, a mental image of her best friend flashing through her mind. Maura. There were so many emotions that Jane never even knew she had felt about her best friend. One being a strong sense of being whole. She felt like she was complete when she was with Maura. She didn't feel like she was alone. Another feeling was a feeling of trust and loyalty. Like Shawn, Maura had never EVER lied to Jane. Jane knew that she could trust Maura with anything. She knew that if she were to tell the honey blonde that she had shot and killed a man, Maura would never turn her in to the police.

That thought made Jane laugh. Maura would probably want to do a full body inspection of the person Jane killed. Shaking her head, Jane looked at the other feelings she had listed on Maura's name. Desire was another feeling that Jane had recently experienced while she was alone with her best friend. Though she wasn't entirely sure _why_ she had felt that way, she knew she had and decided it was best no to lie to herself about it. Recalling the events of the last time they were together, Jane remembered how she felt when she had kissed Maura. She felt like an electric current had ran through her body, like she came alive or something. That was another feeling that Jane had listed. The feeling of being alive. The last feeling that Jane wrote down made her scared out of her mind. Mostly because she had never felt this way about a person before, but also because the person she felt that way about was her best friend.

Jane swallowed her gummy bear, her throat suddenly dry as she stared at the word. "Love." Jane stated aloud, shaking her head and smiling ironically. Not a day in her life did she think that she would ever love her best friend.

Of course, Jane _loved_ Maura before, but in a caring, best friend sense. But now… That feeling seemed to have grown stronger. She had _liked_ kissing Maura. And she actually wanted to kiss her again. That's what scared her the most. Was that she liked it and wanted to do it again. Jane sighed heavily, rubbing her temples and looking out her window. It was still snowing outside. It was almost a foot of snow outside. It had caused school to be closed the past few days, but that didn't mean people still weren't out in the weather. Jane picked up the paper from her bed and stood up, walking over to her dresser and hiding the paper in her third drawer. Jane shook her head as she sat on her bed. There was absolutely nothing else to do for the day. Maura was out with Randy, her mother and Frankie were out doing grocery shopping, and, as per usual, her father was at work.

Sighing again, Jane picked up her phone and pressed the once familiar numbers, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Shalom?" The voice answered, making Jane laugh.

"Hey Tanya."

"Janie? Oh my God! I haven't heard from you in forever! I miss you so much! How are ya baby sis?" Tanya asked all in a rush. She hadn't heard from her cousin in over 2 years and it shocked her that Jane was calling her now.

"Not a whole lot. Just bored out of my mind really. I've been thinking about calling you lately, just didn't know if you would talk to me or not." Jane said, swinging her legs back and forth on her bed.

"Of course I'd talk to you! I love you, you're like the little sister I've never had!" Tanya laughed, shaking her long dark hair from her face. "So what's up, chick?"

Jane sighed and pushed her hair from her face. "Well… I umm… you remember my friend Maura?" Jane asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"Maura… Hmm… Oh! That cute little quirky blonde?" Tanya recalled, making Jane laugh.

"Yeah, that's her."

"Yeah I remember her. What about her?" Tanya replied, munching on a potato chip as a thought came to her mind. "If you tell me something happened to her, I'm coming down there and punching Tommy in the face."

"Ha-ha, why would you punch Tommy?" Jane asked.

"Because everything is Tommy's fault, all the time… In my mind at least." Tanya explained, munching on another chip. "So what's up with her?" Tanya asked again, her mouth full.

Jane bit down on her bottom lip as she contemplated telling her older cousin. She knew that Tanya wouldn't judge her, considering that she had fell in love with her best friend, who was also female. But she still felt a little weird about confessing her attraction for her best friend to her cousin. Her mind made up, she just decided to tell her. "I umm… I kinda… like her." Jane admitted, biting on her lips.

"Well of course you do silly. She's your best friend." Tanya said, pointing out the obvious.

Jane shook her head and sighed. "No Tanya… I mean… I really _like _her." Jane said again, putting more emphasis on the "like" part.

"Oh." Was all Tanya could say for a moment. "That's umm… Interesting." Tanya finally replied.

"Interesting? Tanya, come on. Be real for a sec here. What would you do if you were me?" Jane asked desperately.

"Honey, I was you before. Remember? I fell for Brit… But she didn't like me like that." Tanya said, more to herself than to Jane.

"That's my problem! I don't think that Maura likes _me _like that." Jane said, her arm dropping down to her side. "How the hell would I find out anyways?"

"Ask her." Tanya stated.

"Well ya think? Of course that would be the obvious way to do it. I'm talking about figuring out _without_ being so blunt about it."

"Kiss her." Tanya suggested, unaware that Jane had already did that.

"I… kinda did that already." Jane murmured.

"And that didn't give you any clues?" Tanya implored, shaking her head on the other end. "Jeez, I wish Britney would've kissed _me_ back! No, instead I got a shocked look and a smack across my face!"

Jane sighed on her end of the line and fell back on her bed. "Well then how would I know, then?"

"Uh, did she kiss ya back? Or slap you? Or did she run out?" Tanya asked repositioning herself on her bed.

Jane bit down on her bottom lip as she recalled the situation. She distinctly remembered Maura climbing on top of her and kissing her back. So that was a yes. "Umm… She didn't slap me; she actually kissed me back… And no… She didn't run out… I kinda did."

"So wait? You are freaking out about this when _she_ kissed _you_ back and then _you _ran out on her. What the hell?" Tanya said, shaking her head.

"Well I… Maybe she was just caught up in the heat of the moment." Jane suggested.

"Nope. I don't think so. Because if so, _she_ would've been the one running out, Jane." Tanya told her younger cousin, shaking her head once again. Jane really was a bit slow when it came to relationships. "Janie, I think your bff may have wanted to kiss you just as much as you wanted to kiss her." Tanya added, grabbing another potato chip and eating it.

Jane sighed and felt a strong headache coming on. "Look T, I got to go. I'll talk to you later."

"By later you don't mean in another two years do you?"

Jane smiled to herself and shook her head, though Tanya couldn't see her. "Of course not. I'll call you back tomorrow, k?"

"Alright Janie. Just take care of yourself. Oh, and if you & your bff become lovers or friends with benefits, you best let me know." Tanya said in a threatening tone, causing Jane to laugh.

"That's highly doubtful but okay. Love you Tanya." Hearing Tanya reply "love you too" Jane hung up her phone and sighed. The conversation with her older cousin had helped her some, but definitely not as much as Jane had liked it to.

Feeling the need to get out of her home, Jane stood up and pulled on her tennis shoes & grabbed her coat. Once she stepped outside her home, she wanted to run straight back in. It was freezing cold in Boston and there was more snow to come. Jane let out a heavy breath before walking back into her home to put on her winter boots instead of tennis shoes. She also grabbed a scarf that her mother had knitted her last year along with her leather, black gloves. She did not plan on getting frostbite while out in the cold.

Stepping back out in the cold, Jane let her mind wander to Maura. Maura… Her best friend who Jane had somehow grown feelings for. And if Tanya was right, Maura had felt the same about her.

Jane shook her head at that thought. Maura would never feel the same about her. She had _Randy._ Jane rolled her eyes at the thought of him. She loathed him. Even more now then before. He had stole her best friend from her. And more than that, he had made her job even harder at trying to figure out whether or not Maura could possibly feel the same about her.

As Jane trudged down the icy sidewalk, she thought about what it would be like if her & Maura ever did get together. Jane had to laugh a little at the thought. If you thought about it and you were an outsider looking at them when they were at the store or park or anywhere public, you'd probably assume they were a couple. They already did a lot of the things that couples did. Well, aside from the more physical aspect of it. But they spent a lot of quality time together and talked to each other about _everything_. They even occasionally spent the evening at each other's homes. The more Jane thought about it, the more she realized that there were _a lot_ like an actual couple, minus all the bickering and cheating and the lack of honesty.

Well, they did bicker sometimes, but most of the time it was fairly innocent. No feelings were ever hurt or anything. Jane's thoughts ventured back to thinking about her & Maura being together. _"What would make her fall in love with me, anyways?"_ Jane thought to herself as she entered a corner shop, feeling the heat warm her cheeks. She hadn't realized how cold she actually was until she pulled off her glove and noticed that her fingers were numb. Blowing her breath into her hands and rubbing them together, Jane walked back towards the coffee and cappuccino makers, and then made herself a warm cup of French vanilla cappuccino.

Inhaling the sweet smell of the vanilla, Jane walked over to the doughnut section and grabbed a blueberry doughnut. Hearing the bell ring, which signaled that someone else entered the shop, Jane looked up and noticed Shawn walk in, wearing a black beanie, a heavy winter coat, blue jeans and his hunting boots. "Well there goes the neighborhood." Jane teased, walking towards him.

Shawn turned quickly on his heel and smiled. "Janie! What are you doing out? I thought the cold weather made you hide in a little cave in your bed or something?" Shawn replied in the same teasing tone.

"A cave in my bed? Really Shawn?" Jane said, pulling him into a warm hug. "I'll have you know I spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter. Just because I turned the offer to go ice skating, doesn't mean I live in my bed." Jane smirked, pulling back and giving him a once over. Since when had he gotten so tall? And when did he grow a little stubble? "God, you would think I haven't seen you in forever, Shawn."

"Ha, well I would kinda consider a week forever. Ha-ha. I kid. But I know what you mean." Shawn said, looking down at his shoes. "I woke up one morning and I was like 2 inches taller and had a little beard growing." Shawn added, rubbing the little stubble on his chin, making Jane laugh.

"I'd hardly call that a beard, Shawn. So what's been up?" Jane asked as she sat her things on the counter to pay for them.

"Not a lot really. Steph & I, of course, went ice-skating Monday since school was cancelled. Then me & my dad went to Vermont for a short visit with my uncle." Shawn replied, leaning against the counter.

Jane raised her eyebrows as she handed the cashier the money she owed then grabbed her things. "Since when does your dad pay your uncle a short, random visit?" Jane questioned, walking out of the store first, Shawn following close behind her.

"I was wondering that myself. Dad suddenly just started talking to him again." Shawn explained, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "So enough about me. Have you given any more thought to that whole "Maura" thing?" Shawn asked, trying to hold back a smile.

Jane rolled her eyes playfully and smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes I haven" Jane replied, Shawn giving her a shocked look.

"Seriously? I didn't think that you would, honestly." Shawn admitted, falling into step with Jane. "So what have you come to find out?"

"Well… I do… kinda sorta like her." Jane confessed, looking down at her feet.

Shawn didn't even bother to hide the large smile that spread across his face. "That much I _myself_ knew, but I'm glad that you came to terms with that, Janie. So, what are you planning to do with this newfound information?" Shawn asked.

Jane stared up at him, wondering how he could ask that. He knew Maura was dating Randy. "Umm, nothing Shawn. She's dating Randy." Jane reminded him, rolling her eyes at the mention of Randy.

"So it's a little competition for him." Shawn shrugged.

"Yeah, a winning one. She doesn't _like_ me like that Shawn." Jane insisted, shaking her head.

"Number one, you don't know that. And number two, I happen to think you would win that one."

"Okay, it's not a competition and I'm not treating Maura as such. I care about her and I'm not about to do something like that!" Jane scolded, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Shawn held up his hands in defense. "My bad. I know she isn't some trophy or great prize from a competition. I know that. I also know she means a hell of a lot to you. I didn't mean to say it like that Jane, and I'm sorry." Shawn apologized sincerely.

Jane sighed and shook her head. "It's okay. I'm sorry it's just… I hate that guys _always_ do that, ya know? Act like it's some big competition to get the woman they want. I mean, I know it's a fight, but I don't it to be like I _won_ her or something. Just have it be like I'm the one who she feels is more worthy of loving." Jane said, looking down at the ground.

"You girls are so sentimental." Shawn joked, poking Jane in her side to get her to perk up. Shawn smiled as he saw a small smirk rise on her face.

"Yeah, well you guys are so… Non sentimental." Jane laughed and Shawn shook his head.

"You're lucky we're friends Rizzoli."

"Oh is that what we are?" Jane quipped, causing Shawn to tickle her sides. "No stop it! I swear, I will scream!" Jane threatened and Shawn immediately pulled away from her.

"You are a very evil person, Jane." Shawn declared, shaking his head. "So honestly… What are you going to do about Maura?" Shawn asked, getting back on their previous conversation.

Jane just sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. I mean… I don't know what to do. How do you get someone to like you?"

"Well…. Just little simple things that you know she likes. For instance, for me with Steph, I bought her roses & made her a mix CD. She loves roses and music so, I did that for her. Within a couple of weeks, her & I were dating." Shawn replied.

Jane bit down on her lip and thought about it for a second. "So… I should buy her something?" Jane asked, looking up at her tall friend.

"You don't have to. I mean… what kind of stuff is she into?"

"_Oh, this is an easy question." _Jane thought to herself. "She likes dolphins, music, poetry, going on walks down by the riverside, watching chick flicks & eating chocolate covered raisins; though that I can't understand because raisins are disgusting even when they're covered in chocolate. Oh and she likes to dance in the rain." Jane said, and then she looked at Shawn to see a funny expression on his face. "Hey, what's wrong with your face?"

It was all screwed sideways, or so it appeared. It looked like he was in a state of shock mixed with a state of sadness. So he looked shocked and sad all at the same time. Finally coming back to earth with a wave of Jane's hand in front of his face, he shook his head. "Wow. I can't believe that you know that much about her, yet you two are not together."

"Well, we _are_ best friends Shawn." Jane stated obviously, rolling her eyes. "I know way more than just that about her. Like how cute she looks when she laughs. Then how she scrunches up her nose when she thinks something is weird or strange. Oh and when she gets nervous, she'll twist the little ring she has on her finger & pace around her room like crazy. It's actually quite amusing." Jane said with a laugh.

Shawn shook his head with a smile on his face as he looked at his friend. "It's just crazy to me." He said, still shaking his head.

Jane tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him. "How so?" She asked.

"You know more about Maura than I know about Stephanie. I mean, I never pay attention to all the little things she does. And you & Maura aren't even together, yet you notice everything." Shawn replied.

Jane raised an eyebrow at him. "It doesn't mean you love Stephanie any less, Shawn. You just aren't very observant. Then again, that's with anyone." Jane pointed out, taking a sip of her cappuccino. Shawn just shrugged his shoulders as the approached the Rizzoli residence.

"I dunno." Shawn started, licking his cold lips. "But I'll talk to you later, Jane." Shawn concluded, walking back the other way.

Jane shook her head as she unlocked the front door and walked in, kicking her shoes off so they didn't get the carpet wet. "Ma?" Jane called out, not getting a response. Jane smiled though. She loved being alone at home. It gave her time to be alone and reflect… And play her music as loud as she wanted to. Walking over the stereo, Jane turned it on then turned it up as the song "Sail" by Awolnation came on, singing along with the lyrics.

_This is how I show my love_

_I made it in my mind because_

_I blame it on my A.D.D baby._

Jane danced around the living room, flailing her arms like an insane woman as she sang the song.

_This is how an angel cries_

_I blame it on my own sick pride_

_Blame it on my A.D.D baby_

Jane almost tripped as she hit the side of the couch but caught herself then went back to singing the song, ignoring the home phone ringing in the kitchen.

_Maybe I should cry for help_

_Maybe I should kill myself_

_Blame it on my A.D.D baby_

_Maybe I'm a different breed_

_Maybe I'm not listening_

Jane yelled the last part as the phone continued to ring. Sighing heavily, she walked over to the stereo and turned it down, walking over to the house phone and yanking it off the base. "Hello?" Jane answered, annoyed. Whoever it was better had had a good reason for interrupting her favorite song.

"Jane? It's Adam."

"Adam, what in the world do you want? Frankie isn't here-"

"It's about Maura, Jane." Adam interjected, causing Jane to stop dead in her tracks.

Jane felt her breath hitch in her throat and felt like her heart had stopped. "What happened?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N: Muhahahahahaha! What'd yall think of THAT cliffhanger? Heeeheehee! Am I evil now or what? Ha!

Don't worry, she isn't dead or anything. Then I would definitely be extremely evil. Plus I love Maura too much to kill her off. And it'd be a little harsh. Actually it'd be cruel and unusual punishment for you all. =D

But thanks for following this story and enjoying it!


	9. Visit to the Hospital

Ch.9

Jane rushed through the hospital doors, her eyes frantically searching the room for Constance and Adam. Her eyes finally found them, sitting in the far corner of the waiting room and she ran towards them. Constance was the first to see her and she stood up & wrapped Jane in her arms. When Constance finally pulled back & wiped her tears, Jane asked, "What happened?"

"They were in a car accident." Adam said.

"They? They who?" Jane asked impatiently.

"They as in Randy & Maura. They slid on a patch of ice and collided with another vehicle. The other car sped away though before the ambulance got there. Someone else who witnessed the accident called it in." Adam explain, tears falling down his cheeks.

Jane felt a tug in her chest as she resisted the urge to cry. But she couldn't break down. She had to be strong for Constance & Adam. If she broke down, it'd just make them worse. "So what happened to her, exactly? Did she hit her head, break a bone, what?" Jane urged, needing to know what happened to her best friend.

"Her head hit the dashboard." Constance answered, finally speaking up. "When the EMS arrived, she was unconscious. As far as we know she still is." Constance choked, more tears streaming down her cheeks.

Jane pulled her into a hug, choking back her own tears that were threatening to fall. "She'll be okay, Constance. Maura's strong." Jane reassured the older woman, rubbing her back soothingly. As Jane pulled back and looked over the matron Isles, she shook her head. "What on earth are you wearing?" Jane asked, a little amused by Constance's attire.

"Oh, it's my night clothes. I was about to settle in for bed when they called." Constance replied, shaking her head. She was wearing a small nightgown and had thrown on a pair of track pants to prevent her legs from freezing. "I threw the pants on in the car. I just wanted to get here as fast as I could."

Jane nodded her head and looked back at the double doors, which she knew had led to the many hospital rooms. She had been to the hospital plenty of times for numerous reasons. But an ambulance had never brought her in and she was never unconscious. Jane swallowed thickly as a thought ran through her mind. What if Maura never regained consciousness? Blinking several times, Jane blocked that thought from her mind as she looked back at Constance. If she wanted to stay strong for them, she needed to prevent herself from thinking like that.

"Mrs. Isles?" A doctor called out as he came from the double doors.

Constance immediately ran over towards the doctor, both Jane & Adam hot on her heels. "Yes?"

"Your daughter is stable. She has not awoken yet, but I don't want you to worry too much. There wasn't any damage done to her brain, which is a good thing. There was a minor contusion on her head, but that isn't anything to worry about." The doctor explained, about to continue when Jane cut him off.

"When can we see her? Will she be okay? When will she wake up? How long will she be in here?" She asked all at once.

The doctor smiled lightly at her as he looked over the file for Maura. "She will be okay; she just needs some rest right now. Umm… When she will awake is hard to say. I think her body is healing itself right now, so that may be the cause of her unconscious state. You will be able to see her as soon as we get her moved upstairs, which I'm hoping to do soon, that way we can administer more tests and give her medicines. As far as how long her stay will be, that's hard to determine at this time. But if things go smoothly, it shouldn't be anymore than a week." The doctor stated.

"So she should be out before Christmas, right?" Jane asked.

"If things go well, then yes. She'll be out before Christmas." He answered with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check in with the nurses to see if they have found a room to move her too."

"Sorry doctor, but have you heard any word on Randy Orton?" Adam spoke up.

The doctor furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Mr. Orton signed himself out AMA about 15 minutes ago."

"Against medical advice?" Constance asked, shocked.

"Yes. I advised him that it may not be wise and that I wanted to give him a catscan to make sure there was no damage done to his skull, but he refused. I tried to persuade him, but he threatened to face legal action against us if we didn't let him leave. I had no choice but to give him the papers." He answered, shaking his head. "But I must go check on the status of the room for you." The doctor smiled before walking back through the double doors, leaving the three of them stunned by the information,

"I cannot believe that young man left." Constance said, shaking her own head.

"Me neither." Adam agreed, sitting in a chair.

Jane just shook her head and bit down on her lip. She hoped that Maura would be able to get out of here before Christmas. She secretly wondered why in the world Randy would leave in the state he was in. _"Maybe because he did something that could get him in trouble." _Jane thought to herself then shook her head. Why would he do something reckless if Maura was in the car with him?

Thirty minutes later, Maura was moved to the third floor, room 316, in the intensive care unit. While the doctor, named Michael Worchester as Jane had found out, had claimed that Maura was okay, Jane & Constance had known better. Patients who were doing well were not sent to ICU. Dr. Worchester was either not telling them the whole story, or he was keeping them from something. Either way, it pretty much meant the same thing.

Jane took in a deep breath before going into the room. Adam & Constance had already been in the room to see Maura. They had left a minute ago to go down to the cafeteria. They had offered Jane to go, but she had declined. Truth be told, she was too worried about Maura to even think about eating anything. Sighing heavily, Jane pushed the door open and almost turned back around to leave once she saw Maura. The sight of her in the state she was in brought tears to Jane's eyes. She was hooked up to some sort of machine and had a mask over her face to help her breathe.

Jane's eyes clouded over with tears as she sat in the chair closest to her best friend. Jane looked down at Maura's hand and took it in her own. Feeling the warmness of her skin comforted her a bit, knowing that at least she was still alive and warm. Jane wiped the tears from her eyes as she placed a kiss on the top of Maura's hand. "Please wake up, Maura. Please." Jane pleaded, the tears falling down her cheeks. Jane lifted her right hand to stroke Maura's honey blonde strands. As her hand brushed against Maura's face, she flinched at how cold it felt. Jane squeezed Maura's left hand with her own, reassuring herself that it was still warm.

Sniffing back her tears, though they kept falling, Jane whispered, "Maura please wake up. I need you to wake up for me. Please." Jane cried, her head falling on the bed & her hair falling around her face. Her shoulders shook with her tears then she jumped back as she felt someone touch her shoulder. Pushing her hair back and wiping her tears, she noticed that Constance was back. "Oh hey, Constance. Where umm… Where's Adam?" Jane asked shakily.

"Frankie & your mother are here. He's currently downstairs filling them in on what happened." Constance answered, pulling a chair up next to Jane and sitting in it. "She talk back to you yet?" Constance asked, a hint of humor in her voice.

Jane laughed sadly and shook her head. "No. I wish though." Jane replied, shaking her head. "I'm so scared, Constance. I really am." Jane admitted, breaking down.

The older woman frowned and wrapped her arm around Jane, pulling her small frame to her. "I know sweetheart. I'm scared too." Constance kissed the top of Jane's head and stroked her long black hair. "But like you said, my Maura is strong. She'll be okay." Constance reassured, rubbing Jane's back like Jane had earlier did for her.

Jane sniffed and looked over at Maura, sighing. "I just wish that she would wake up and smile at me." Jane said sadly. "I just want to shake her to death until she wakes up, but I know that's not how it works." Jane shook her head and wiped her eyes, grabbing a hold of Maura's hand again.

"You really love my daughter, don't you?" Constance asked bluntly, shocking the hell out of Jane.

Jane stared at the older woman, shocked. "I'm sorry?"

"You love her. I can tell." Constance replied, taking a sip of her coffee as she motioned towards Maura. "I see the way that you look at her. The way you talk to her." Constance mentioned, looking back at Jane.

"Mrs. Isles-" Jane started but Constance cut her off.

"Oh, I'm not angry darling." Constance reassured with a small smile. "Not at all. I was just stating that I can tell how you feel about her."

Jane sighed and looked away from Constance & back at Maura. How had she noticed when Jane hadn't even realized until just recently how she had felt about Maura? Jane swallowed thickly as a thought ran through her mind. "Is it really that obvious to everybody but her?" Jane asked, looking at Constance.

"I wouldn't think so. I mean, your mother hasn't mentioned anything to me about it. I believe I'm really the only one who noticed it, dear." Constance answered truthfully. Jane nodded her head and looked back at Maura. "For what it's worth, Jane, I think my daughter feels the same about you."

Jane smiled and shook her head. "I hate to disagree with you Mrs. Isles, but I really don't think so."

"Oh, I do. She looks at you the same way you look at her." Constance pointed out, looking from Jane to Maura. She noticed Jane shake her head again and she smiled to herself. Jane Rizzoli certainly was stubborn. But that's what she had liked about her. It really took some convincing to get through to the young brunette. While most people Constance knew believed every word you would say, Jane needed to be convinced first. "Whenever she talks about you Jane, she has this glow about her. Her eyes seem to shine just a hint brighter when she mentions you or hears your name. Then every time she sees you, her eyes light up and she becomes very happy to see you."

Jane bit down on her bottom lip as she listened to what Constance was saying. That was how she felt whenever it came to Maura. Her heart would start to race when she was near her. And her day always seemed to get better when she saw her honey blonde friend. Still, Jane couldn't believe that Maura could ever feel that way about her. "I don't know."

Constance smiled and shook her head. "Well, maybe one day you'll see it Jane." Constance said, rubbing Jane's leg then looked up at her daughter. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw Maura's eyelids flutter. "Jane." Constance said, getting Jane's attention then motioned towards Maura.

Jane had noticed it too. Maura's eyes slowly fluttered open and her eyes scanned the room frantically. Maura felt her heart start to race as she looked around the hospital room. Then her eyes fell on her mother & Jane.

"Maura." Jane breathed, smiling. Maura tried to smile back at Jane but felt too tired to do so. "It's okay. You're okay. You're in the hospital. You & Randy were in a car accident." Jane informed her friend and noticed the visible flinch Maura gave at the mention of Randy's name. Jane's face fell as she stared at her friend. "Maura… did something happen with Randy?" Jane asked, trying to control her temper. She didn't know if anything had happened with Randy, but just by the mere thought of it, she was ready to rip his head from his shoulders. When Maura started crying, it only confirmed her fears. She squeezed Maura's hand and said, "It's okay Maur. He's not here, he's gone. And I swear to you right here, right now that he will _not_ do anything to you." Jane promised, giving Maura's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Constance looked at Maura confused. "Honey, what did he do?"

Maura shook her head at her mother then looked back at Jane, communicating with Jane through her eyes. "She doesn't want to say right now. It's not the time or place to discuss it." Jane told Constance, receiving a nod from Maura.

"Oh my God… Maura… I'll be sure that that young man never comes near you again." Constance promised, grabbing her daughter's other hand and squeezing it. "I'm going to go tell that doctor that you've awakened." Constance informed her daughter, Maura nodding back in response.

Jane's eyes followed Constance as she left then went back to Maura as the door closed. Jane removed the mask that was on Maura's face, noticing how Maura was trying to desperately to take it off but her hands failing. "Your body's tired from the accident. You probably need more rest." Jane suggested, rubbing Maura's arm.

"I'm scared to, Jane." Maura replied, her voice not above a whisper.

"Why? Why are you scared to?" Jane implored.

"Randy." Maura answered, her eyes growing wide.

"He will not do anything to you Maura, I promise." Jane assured, squeezing Maura's hand. "What did he do to you?"

Maura's eyes started to tear up as she thought about it. "He tried to force me Jane. He tried but I wouldn't let him. He was angry as he drove me back home. He was swerving all over the road on purpose to scare me. Then we slid on that patch of ice and hit the other car head on." Maura explained, tears falling down her cheeks.

Jane was heated. She wanted to go and find Randy and tear him apart, limb from limb. But there was no way she was leaving Maura. Randy would just have to wait until Maura was out of the hospital and back to her normal self. He was actually rather lucky right now. "So… He tried to force you to sleep with him… but you wouldn't let him, correct?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded her head in response. "Okay… That's good. That's real good." Jane smiled and rubbed her thumb on the back of Maura's hand as she held it.

"I'm just so scared Jane." Maura confessed.

Jane wiped the tears from Maura's eyes and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "He won't do anything to you, Maur."

"But Jane-"

"Ah… No but's. I'll keep you safe, Maura. No matter what it takes, I will keep you safe." Jane promised, kissing Maura's hand. Feeling Maura shiver, Jane looked around for another blanket. "You cold?" Jane asked. Maura just shook her head. "That what was up with the shiver? You get a cold chill?" Again, Maura shook her head. "Then what was it?" Jane asked, eyeing her best friend.

"Jane… Will you kiss me again?"

Jane's eyes opened wide and she let out a nervous laugh. "You're joking right?" Jane laughed nervously.

Maura blinked several times before replying. "No, I was actually quite serious."

"Ha-ha… I think that medicine they have you on is messing with your mind Miss Isles." Jane joked, standing up from her chair. "I'm uh… going to go find you mom… then I'm going to go find mine. I'll be back in a bit." Jane stammered, walking towards the door.

"Jane. Please don't leave me by myself." Maura pleaded. Jane stopped in her tracks, unable to go out the door. She let out a heavy breath before turning back around and walking back to her seat. "Just forget I asked okay?"

Jane sighed heavily as she looked at her best friend. "Maura… don't be upset with me please. You were just in an accident and you hurt your head. I don't want to do something that you'll regret later because the medicine you're on could have you messed up and not thinking clearly."

"Just forget it okay!" Maura scolded, looking away from Jane.

Jane nearly fell back in her chair at Maura's words. _"She couldn't have been serious." _Jane thought to herself. There was no way that Maura was serious. "Maura-"

"You know Jane, I think I want to be alone for a moment so you can go and search for my mother." Maura replied coldly.

"Look I'm sorry! Okay? You just… You were just in an awful accident and Randy just tried to take advantage of you! You're vulnerable right now and-"

"And what, Jane?"

Jane just sat there, unable to find the words she wanted to say. So instead, she just replied in the only way she could. She pushed herself up out of her chair and leaned over Maura, kissing her on her lips. Maura was shocked at first and then kissed her back. Hearing the door start to open, Jane jumped back and stood near the wall, shocked at what she had just done_ again_.

Constance entered the room with Dr. Worchester and looked back & forth between Maura & Jane. "Everything alright girls?" Constance asked, getting a shocked look from Maura.

"Yup! Everything's great but I have the sudden urge for a cup of coffee, so I'm going to go downstairs to the café and get me one! See you in a bit, Maur." Jane replied hurriedly and practically ran out of the room, leaving Constance confused.

"What on earth just happened?" Constance asked looking at Maura.

Maura just shrugged her shoulders and smiled nervously. _"That's what I was wanting to know too."_

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

_A/N: Sooooooooo I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Well except for the fact that Maura is in the hospital and such. =D_


	10. Home This Christmas

Ch.10

It had turned out that Maura's head injury was much worse than Dr. Worchester had first anticipated which led to Maura being held in the hospital for two weeks. Well, a week and two days if Jane were to be exact about it. Sighing heavily, Jane put up another ornament on her family's Christmas tree. It was also two weeks exact until Christmas Eve, and the Rizzoli family was just now starting to decorate their house for the festive occasion. That was mostly because Maura was in the hospital and Jane wanted to wait until she got home to start decorating. Maura was apart of their family tradition ever since their first Christmas together when they were nine years old. It felt weird not having Maura there at the start of the decorating.

Jane exhaled heavily and sat back on the couch, looking out the living room window. It had been an hour since Angela had received a phone call from Constance, letting her know that Maura was being released from the hospital and that they would arrive home shortly. But again, that was an hour ago. And it took half an hour to get from their home to the hospital.

Jane's eyes darted to the street where she saw a car slowly approaching the Isles Residence, and then sighed when she saw the car continue down the street. She had been sitting in the same spot, on & off through the evening, only getting up when her mother asked her to do something. Otherwise, she'd sit at the window and look out the window, waiting for the familiar headlights to pull up in the driveway next door. Jane noticed that the snow had started to fall again & she shook her head. It was worse tonight than it had been two weeks ago when Maura was in her car accident. _"I just hope that tonight won't be a repeat of what happened then." _Jane thought to herself.

Jane sighed as she heard her mother enter the living room & turn on the radio, mentioning something about playing Christmas music to get into the Christmassy mood. Jane groaned inwardly, until she heard a Christmas song come on that she wasn't familiar with. She heard the piano at the being and decided to just listen.

_Looking out the window waiting for your headlights_

_To pull up in the driveway it's really coming down tonight_

_You're scared that I won't make it through the storm_

_You should be here with me safe and warm_

_I'll be waiting under the mistletoe,_

_While you're driving here through the winter storm_

_Baby think of me if it helps to get you home._

_When the only gift that I really need_

_Is to have you arms wrapped around me._

_Baby think of me if it helps to get you home._

_Home this Christmas._

"Janie, could you put up some more ornaments for me?" Angela inquired from the kitchen.

Jane groaned and pushed away from the couch, not really into the whole decorating thing this year. At least not while Maura wasn't there. Grabbing three more ornaments from the Christmas box, Jane sauntered over to the tree and placed them there. Not wanting to sit back down on the couch, she started pacing up & down the hallway. She wanted desperately to call Maura, to reassure herself that she was alright. But she fought the urge to do so.

Jane let out a deep breath as she stopped to just listen for a moment. The house was dead silent except for the music still playing in the living room. Jane fidgeted with her fingers then rushed to the window as she saw headlights shine through the curtains. Again, she was disappointed to see that it was just a bypasser.

Giving a huff, Jane pushed herself from the window and pulled her long dark strands into a tight ponytail as she sat on the couch, facing the window. Jane once again started to worry about her best friend & her mother. What if Constance had slid on the ice? What if someone else did & they hit Maura & Constance? A million different scenarios ran through her head, but none of them seemed to end with Maura arriving home safely.

Jane bounced her leg up & down as she sat anxiously on the couch. What if Maura didn't make it home at all? That thought sent a chill down Jane's spine as she mentally gave herself a shake. She _had_ to stop thinking like that.

Another set of headlights shone through the window, causing Jane to jump up from the couch & run to the window. Noticing that the car started to slow down then turn into the driveway, Jane became overwhelmed with excitement. "Maura's home!" Jane yelled out and ran to the door, opening it wide as she stared at the little blue car. Stepping out of the car, not even 15 feet from her was Maura. A wide smile spread across her face. "Maura!" Jane called out.

Maura's head turned to the left & her eyes fell upon her best friend. Dropping her bags, Maura ran over to Jane & fell into her open arms, hugging her tightly.

Jane gave a sigh of relief at the feeling of Maura in her arms. "God, I was so worried about you." Jane confessed quietly, her head buried in Maura's hair. "I missed you so much."

As they pulled away from each other, Maura wiped a single tear from her eye and rubbed Jane's arm. "I miss you too, Jane." She smiled. "I'm so glad to finally be back home."

"I'm glad you're home too." Jane said, rubbing Maura's shoulder. "You, go on in and check out the tree. My mom's in the kitchen and I'm sure she's _dying_ to see you." Jane urged, ushering Maura inside her home before rushing over to Constance's car and picking up Maura's things.

"Jane, thank you so much. You've really been so great to me." Constance said, grabbing her own bags and smiling at the younger woman.

"It's no big deal. Besides, you're like a second mother to me." Jane smiled, toting Maura's bags inside the Isles residence then putting them in Maura's room. "Adam is still next door, he's helping Frankie do something or another." Jane informed her with a light laugh, before turning serious. "I was really worried about you both. I was scared you all weren't going to make it home."

"We almost didn't." Constance said with a shake of her head, watching as Jane's eyes grew wide. "Some idiot behind us thought it be funny to drive rather close to the back end of my car. Then I guess the decided it'd be even better if they shined their bright headlights in my rearview mirror. I almost veered off the road until Maura grabbed the wheel & I pulled over to the side of the road. She was so distraught, and I was too." Constance continued, shaking her head again. "It was a rather scary moment for the both of us."

Jane felt a tug in her chest as she wrapped Constance in her arms. "You're both okay now." Jane soothed her, then pulled back and watched as Constance wiped her teary eyes. "Why don't you come on over next door and… talk with my mother. I knew she misses talking to you." Jane suggested. When Constance nodded her head, Jane ushered her out of Maura's room and followed her out of their home & into her own. Jane smiled at Tommy then remembered she wanted to talk to him about Craig. "Tommy, can I talk to you in a bit?"

"As long as you're not gonna rip my head off." Tommy joked, getting a smile out of Jane for the first time that evening.

"I wouldn't do anything that brash." Jane said, shaking her head before her eyes fell on the honey blonde, who was putting up more decorations. Jane just stood there and took in the sight of her. It was really great to see Maura again, back at her home, and doing regular things. They hadn't spoke to each other too much after the incident at the hospital. Jane regretted running off on Maura, yet again. But she didn't want to find out what would've happened if Constance had walked in on Jane kissing her daughter.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Jane walked over to Maura & stood beside her. "Yeah… Sorry we kinda started without you. Frankie was getting impatient as always." Jane apologized, making small talk. At least it was some sort of conversation besides none.

"It's alright. I'm just glad I get to help out some." Maura replied, smiling lightly at Jane. "Do you think we could talk later, Jane?" Maura asked, turning to face Jane & looked into her fierce brown eyes.

Jane blinked a few times as she got lost in Maura's hazel eyes. "Umm… Yeah. Of course." Jane stammered.

Maura smiled and replied, "Good. Now, would you like to help me place the mistletoe?" Maura asked, tilting her head to the side.

"_What?"_ "Mistletoe- Ma, when'd you get mistletoe?" Jane yelled out to her mother.

"Just the other day Janie!"

"Uh, why? No one wants to see you & pop kiss all the time." Jane teased, winking at Maura.

Angela poked her head around the corner and glared at her daughter. "For your information sweetie, I bought them at Frankie's request."

"Why? He wants to kiss Adam?" Jane joked, getting a punch in her arm. "Ow!" Jane cried out, looking to her right to see Frankie & Adam emerging from Frankie's bedroom.

"Funny. Real funny Janie." Frankie nodded his head at Maura then smiled devilishly at Jane. "I wanted her to buy it for you Jane. Ya know, maybe you and a _certain someone_ can have your appropriate first kiss." Frankie whispered only loud enough for Jane to hear. This time, it was Frankie to get punched in the arm.

"Cute. Real cute Francis." Jane teased, calling Frankie by his full first name.

"Hey! No calling me that!" Frankie whined, walking into the kitchen, Adam following behind him.

Jane smirked then looked over at Maura, who seemed to be lost in her own little world, putting up decorations. "So, you wanted help putting up mistletoe?" Jane asked, rubbing Maura's arm to get her attention.

"Only if it doesn't make you uncomfortable." Maura replied, and she did not intend for it to come out as a snide remark, but it still struck Jane the wrong way.

"Look Maura, I'm really sorry about what happened at the hospital. However, I was hoping we could wait until later to discuss it, not right now. I know I hurt your feelings but what was I supposed to do? You're mother was coming in the room and… I didn't want her to see us like that."

"So that's what you're worried about, Jane? What other people will think?" Maura sneered.

"I don't even know what I think myself, Maura! It's still… all new to me. Okay, I wasn't exactly fully prepared to ever consider the fact of me being attracted to you!" Jane replied in a hushed voice. "Besides, I'm not even 100% sure on how you feel about it either!"

"I thought I made it pretty obvious to you when I asked you to kiss me." Maura remarked with a fake smile.

Jane's shoulders fell as she looked at her best friend. This is not how she wanted this to go. She didn't want Maura's first day home from the hospital to go like this. "Maur… What are we doing? I mean… why are we arguing? What's the point of this?" Jane said, leaning against the cream-colored wall & letting out a sigh. "I mean… I didn't want this to happen this way."

"What do you mean?" Maura asked, doing as Jane & leant up against the wall.

"This! This whole conversation!" Jane exclaimed, rubbing her head. "It was supposed to be simple… easy… We weren't supposed be sitting here and arguing." Jane shook her head.

Maura looked Jane over & decided she was right. They shouldn't be standing here and arguing. They were supposed to be having a good time and decorating for the holidays. "You're right. We shouldn't be arguing. We should be happy. I mean, decorating is supposed to be a fun, festive activity." Maura smiled as she held up a silver ornament. "You wanna go hang this up?" Maura asked, the small, silver bear holding a drum dangling from her fingers.

Jane smiled slightly and took the mistletoe from Maura's right hand. "I actually wanted to hang some of this up." Jane said with a smirk. Maura smiled and shook her head, grabbing mistletoe from the box.

"Where should we put the first one?" Maura asked, bumping Jane with her shoulder. Jane didn't say anything, she just grabbed Maura's left hand and pulled her into her bedroom. Maura looked at Jane highly confused as the tall brunette hung the mistletoe above the doorframe. "Jane-" Maura started but was cut off by Jane's lip crashing down on hers. Maura returned the favor and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck, pulling Jane's face closer to hers. Pulling back for a breath, Maura breathed, "No running off this time, Jane."

Jane smiled and shook her head. "Definitely not." Jane replied, leaning down to capture Maura's lips once more. Turning Maura around, Jane backed her towards the bed and steadily sat them down at the foot of the twin-sized bed. Looking back towards the door, Jane felt Maura pull on her hand.

"No running off, remember?"

"I know, I'm just gonna lock the door. Don't need anyone walking in or anything." Jane laughed, and then got up & locked her door before returning to Maura. Leaning down, Jane placed gentle kisses on Maura's neck, as Maura pulled Jane towards her and fell back against the bed.

"Jane." Maura breathed as Jane kissed the nape of her neck. She had never been touched & kissed like this before. Not with anyone. But with Jane, it felt so familiar and so right. Maura grabbed Jane's hair, causing Jane to look up at her. "Kiss me again, Jane." Maura urged, her voice deep and urgent.

Jane abided to Maura's demands and leaned down to kiss her again. Her tongue traced over Maura's lips, causing her to let out a soft moan. Once Maura granted her entrance, Jane slid her tongue across Maura's, tasting a faint trace of mint. Jane felt Maura's hand run down her spine and she felt herself shiver at her touch. Kissing Maura's neck, Jane allowed her hands to roam Maura's body, starting at her waist then trailing up her stomach. Hearing a soft moan escape from Maura's lips, Jane decided to travel further up underneath Maura's shirt.

*Knock, knock, knock*

"Girls? Are you in there?"

Jane groaned and pushed herself up from her bed, pulling Maura up with her. Smiling at her best friend (whom she just had a make out session with), Jane fixed Maura's messy hair, placing it in the right spot. "Coming ma." Jane answered, walking towards the door & rolling her eyes, causing Maura to laugh. Pulling the mistletoe from the wall and setting it to the side, Jane opened up the door to see her mother on the other side. "Hey ma."

"Hey honey. Everything alright?" Angela asked, looking around Jane to see Maura then smiled at her.

"Yeah ma. Maur & I are just catching up and stuff. You need us to help put more stuff up?"

"Oh no, we're fine. I was just letting you know that I'm making dinner and I invited Constance & Adam to stay for dinner. Would you like to stay too, Maura?" Angela offered, giving Maura a warm smile.

"No ma, she wants to sit in the living room while we eat." Jane replied sarcastically, shaking her head.

"I'd love to, Mrs. Rizzoli. Thank you." Maura graciously accepted, returning a smile.

"Okay. You two be good!" Angela concluded, walking back down the hall.

Jane closed the door and shook her head. "My mother always comes at the most inopportune times." Jane stated, pulling Maura back to the bed. "So… let's catch up." Jane suggested, smiling at Maura.

"I'd rather we got back onto the subject we were previously on." Maura replied mischievously. Jane smirked at her before leaning in to kiss her.

… … … … … … … … 30 mins Later … … … … … … … …

"So where do we go from here?" Jane asked, rubbing Maura's arm as Maura laid on her chest.

"Hmm… I think that we should… I dunno, maybe be together?" Maura suggested, looking up at her best friend, possibly now girlfriend.

Jane swallowed thickly, toying with that thought. Yeah, the could be together. But then it'd just prove everyone right. That being her mother, Frankie, Tommy, the bitches at school, and practically everyone else. Although, she knew how she felt about Maura. And she was pretty confident now that Maura felt the same about her. It was only right that they got together.

"Jane?" Maura said, interrupting Jane's thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that we should be together? Or would you rather us not?" Maura asked sadly, hoping Jane didn't choose the latter.

"Are you kidding? Of course I want us to be together, Maur. I'm just… scared. Not of you… But-"

"But of what other people would think." Maura finished, pulling out of Jane's grasp and sitting up in the bed.

"No! No, of course not! Maur, I don't care what they think. I just… I hate that people will… You know what, I do care. But I can't… I want to be with you! I love you Maura and I want everyone to know that you're mine! But… People will… I hate proving people right." Jane confessed, holding her head in her hands.

"The only way you're proving that right is by showing everyone that you do love me. That you care about me. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks, Jane." Maura stated, scooting closer to Jane & running her fingers up & down Jane's arm.

Jane sighed heavily. Maura was right. It didn't matter what everyone else thought. Who cared what they thought about her? Or Maura? She sure as hell didn't anymore. "You're right, Maur. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I love you and…" Jane stopped, unsure of exactly how Maura felt about her.

Maura smiled as she looked at Jane's facial expression. "I love you, Jane." Maura reassured, taking Jane's hands in hers.

Jane couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Okay… Well I love you & you love me… So what anyone else thinks doesn't matter. They can all go to hell for all I care." Jane laughed, staring into Maura's eyes. "So okay." Jane smiled.

"Okay what, Jane?" Maura asked with a smile. She just wanted to hear Jane say it.

Jane laughed and shook her head. "Maura… I want you to be…. Be my everything… Would you?" Jane asked nervously, biting on her bottom lip as Maura smiled.

"Do you really even have to ask, Jane?" Maura asked, shaking her head. "I would love nothing more than to be with you." Maura replied.

"Really?"

"Really really."

Jane smiled at her best friend/now girlfriend and leaned into her, pressing her lips against Maura's. When they pulled back from each other, Jane gazed into Maura's eyes. "So, we're official now, huh?" Maura smiled and kissed Jane again. _"I guess I have my answer."_ Jane thought to herself, returning the kiss.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N:_ Well… I hope you all enjoyed that chapter =) Which I'm sure you all did! =) Thanks again for following this story and the reviews & alerts & favorites! I'm glad that the things I come up with in my mind are liked and enjoyed by you all and I'm very happy that I get to share it with you all. _


	11. Confessions & Confrontations

Ch.11

As the days passed, Jane's moods changed considerably. She was a lot happier than she had been. And her mother was starting to take notice.

Angela walked into the kitchen yawning as she tried to turn on the light switch, only it was already on. Alarmed, Angela looked up & her jaw dropped. Not three feet from her stood her daughter. "Janie? What are you doing up so early?" Angela asked, looking at the clock on the wall, confirming that it was indeed 7:17 in the morning.

Jane looked back at her mother & smiled. "Mornin' Ma. I'm making some breakfast! Pancakes & sausage. Oh and I made some coffee." Jane said, motioning towards the coffee maker. "You want some?" She asked, grabbing two cups from the cabinet.

Angela just stood at the table, dumbfounded. _"Since when had Jane learned how to cook? And why on earth was she so cheerful?" _Angela wondered to herself as she sat down in the chair, staring at her eldest child. "Uh Janie? Are you feeling alright sweetheart?"

Jane eyed her mother curiously, as she sat the coffee cups on the counter. "What do you mean?"

Before Angela could respond, the doorbell rang. Angela noticed the wide smile spread across her daughters face as she ran out of the kitchen to answer the door. Raising her eyebrow, and her suspicions, Angela arose from the chair and poked her head around the corner to catch a peek of the early morning visitor. She was highly surprised to see who it was. _"Maura?"_ Noticing that Jane & Maura were both heading towards the kitchen, Angela rushed to sit back at the table, pretending to be highly interested in the wood.

"Ma, I hope that you don't mind that I invited Maura over for breakfast." Jane stated rather than asked they both came into the kitchen and leant against the counter.

"Uh… Well of course I don't mind Janie." Angela laughed, getting back up from her chair. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to go freshen up before breakfast." Angela smiled at Maura before excusing herself to the bathroom to take a shower.

Jane's eyes followed her mother as she left the room then fell on Maura once she realized they were alone. Pulling Maura into a warm hug, Jane breathed in the faint scent of Maura's perfume. "Mmm, God you smell good." Jane said into Maura's neck.

"Ha-ha, well I certainly do try. I missed you Jane." Maura said as they pulled away from each other.

Jane smiled and rubbed Maura's arm affectionately. "I missed you too." Jane replied. Ever since they had gotten together, they were hardly able to see each other. It was either Angela wanting to go Christmas shopping with Jane or the same with Maura & Constance. This was the first day that they were actually able to spend time together. "So… I was thinking that we could do breakfast and then do something spontaneous." Jane suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

Maura laughed at Jane and shook her head. "You're so silly. But I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." Maura agreed, smiling at her raven-haired girlfriend/best friend. As Maura looked Jane over, she realized that Jane was actually dressed for the day already. It was a surprise to her when she heard a small knock on her window at 6:45 and Jane had asked her to come over for breakfast. Maura was meditating when Jane had come to the window and it had shocked her that the tall brunette was awake. Now it surprised her even more to see that not only was Jane awake, she was fully prepared for the day, wearing a cute pair of black jeans with a pretty, silk purple long sleeved shirt. Hell, she was even already in her high-heeled boots! "I'm so not used to seeing you up this early. Or fully dressed."

Jane laughed and shook her head at the last part. "And when ever have you seen me not fully dressed?" Jane teased, wiggling her eyebrows as she took come pancakes off the griddle.

"You know I hadn't meant it like that. I just mean that normally you're still in your pajamas for at least an hour when you first wake up. I'm not used to seeing you dressed in everyday attire this early is all I'm saying." Maura clarified, grabbing a spatula and taking the sausage off from the skillet. "And there have been times when I've seen you half naked, Jane. Like when we were 12 and I accidentally walked into your room when you were changing. Then I believe there was even a time when I saw you _fully_ naked. I believe it was when-"

"Okay, Maur. Got it. You can stop embarrassing me now." Jane joked, poking Maura in her side.

"Sorry. You know I love seeing you be all flustered." Maura smirked, tickling Jane's side.

Jane squirmed away from Maura with a laugh then looked back as she heard someone walk into the kitchen. Jane raised an eyebrow as she saw Tommy walk in and sit at the kitchen table, scratching his head. Jane smiled slightly & shook her head. _"Mom must've gotten him up." _Jane thought to herself as she grabbed the bowl full of pancake batter when she remembered she wanted to talk to her little brother about Craig. "Oh! Tommy." Jane started, looking back at her brother, whose eyes grew wide as he stared at her. Jane laughed on the inside as she looked at him. He looked scared to death. "Um, I wanted to talk to you about something later. Like after breakfast." Jane said, turning back to the bowl and pouring some of the batter onto the griddle.

Tommy raised his eyebrow at his older sister and took in a deep breath. "Yeah… sure. That's fine." He answered; unsure of what exactly it was that she wanted to talk with him about. But he was sure that it wasn't good. "Umm… I'm going to go and umm… Change… Or whatever." Tommy said pushing himself up from the table. Truthfully, he just wanted to get out of the kitchen.

As he left, Jane let out the laugh she could no longer contain, earning a soft smack from Maura. "You're so mean! You had him scared to death!" Maura shook her head as she looked at Jane, who was doubled over laughing.

"That… Would be my mother's fault." Jane laughed and straightened her posture, wiping her eyes. "She always starts off saying his name like that before he gets in trouble." Jane explained, laughing again.

"So you did it on purpose?" Maura asked, eyeing Jane. Jane shook her head innocently before giving Maura a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Did that on purpose though." Jane smirked, leaving the kitchen. Maura licked her lips and shook her head. Jane just loved teasing her.

… …. … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … …

Jane sighed heavily as she dried the last dish and placed it in its appropriate place in the wooden cabinets before looking at Maura. Her best friend/girlfriend gave her a reassuring smile as she looked at her. "I'm so nervous about this right now." Jane admitted, looking down at her hands, her left hand having a scar right in the middle of it, though she couldn't remember how exactly she had gotten it.

Maura grabbed Jane's hands and rubbed the back of them with her thumb. "It'll be okay Jane. Alright? I'll be there with you when you tell him." Maura promised, trying to make Jane look at her.

"I'm just so scared that he'll be just like my Aunt & Uncle… I'm scared that he won't believe me just like Craig's parents didn't believe me or Tanya." Jane sighed and shook her head as her eyes met Maura's. Her beautiful hazel eyes showed no fear or worry. Only love, compassion and hope. Smiling at Maura, Jane felt her spirits lift, as they always did whenever she looked into Maura's eyes. "You ready to do this with me?" Jane asked, rubbing Maura's hand. Maura nodded in response, so Jane took her by the hand and led her to Tommy's room. Taking in a deep breath, Jane knocked lightly on his door.

"Come in!" Tommy called out from inside his room.

Jane & Maura shared a look before Jane opened the door, letting Maura walk in before her. Once she entered, she closed the door behind her and cleared her throat as she looked at Tommy, who was as always playing a video game. "Umm… This is really important what I need to speak with you about Tommy." Jane said, getting Tommy's attention. Her eyes flitted back & forth between him & his game. It took Tommy awhile to understand what she was hinting at.

When he did, he nodded his head then switched off his game system. "What's up, Janie?" Tommy asked, looking back & forth between his older sister & Maura.

As Jane told Tommy about what Craig had done to her those many years ago, Tommy just sat there with a vacant look in his eyes. Many times, Jane would look at Maura & squeeze her hand to help comfort her. When Jane finished, she had tears streaming down her cheeks, reliving the memory.

Maura looked back and forth between Jane & Tommy through her teary eyes. She wasn't sure whether Tommy was saddened by the news or what. But she certainly didn't have a good feeling about it.

"Tommy-" Jane started but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. She bit back her tears as she reached for him. "Tommy-"

"Don't touch me!" Tommy yelled pulling his arm back. "Don't fucking touch me! How can you lie to me about something like that Janie?" Tommy accused, shaking his head and pacing around the room. "See Craig told me, he told me that you'd try to say some bullshit like that now that we're hanging out! I didn't think that you really would but you did." Tommy shook his head again as he glared at his sister. He was about to say something but instead he just stormed out of his bedroom.

Not able to hold it in any longer, Jane broke down, falling into Maura's arms. Maura rubbed Jane's back and whispered soothing words in her ear. She couldn't believe that Tommy would actually think that Jane would lie about something as serious as rape. She honestly thought… Well she don't know what she thought. She didn't know exactly how he'd react neither but she certainly didn't think he'd react like that. Kissing the top of Jane's head, Maura continued to rock her back & forth as they sat on the floor.

"I can't believe he thought that-" Jane started but not able to continue. Her tears prevented her from doing so.

"Shh I know Jane. I know. It'll be alright. He'll come around." Maura said, trying to comfort Jane. Jane cried against her shoulder and Maura shook her head. She wanted to strangle Tommy for hurting his sister like this. She knew that it was hard for Jane confiding in her brother for fear that he wouldn't believe her like her Aunt & Uncle didn't. Sadly, her fears were confirmed. Tommy didn't believe her. Craig had gotten to him before she could. Maura sighed and looked down at Jane. "Come on Janie. Let's go into your room k?" Maura suggested, helping Jane to her feet then leading her to Jane's bedroom. Jane immediately fell onto her bed face first, her head buried in her pillows. Maura felt her heart break at the sight of her best friend. She hated seeing her so upset. Maura let out a deep breath as she climbed into bed beside Jane.

Jane wiped her eyes and looked over at Maura. She couldn't cry anymore. Her eyes wouldn't let her. Letting out a shaky breath, Jane scooted closer to Maura & laid her head on Maura's chest, allowing Maura to wrap her arm around her shoulder and run her fingers through the long, dark, curly strands.

Sighing, Maura glanced down at Jane, whose eyes had closed and her chest rising and falling steadily. Maura figured she was probably asleep. Crying does that to a person. Shaking her head, Maura thought back to Tommy. She wanted to throttle him for putting Jane through this. Hearing the front door open, Maura gently pulled herself from under Jane and opened the bedroom door, looking out. Her blood started to boil as she saw Tommy start to walk down the hallway. Maura closed Jane's door and approached Tommy. "What in the hell is your problem Tommy?" Maura scolded, folding her arms across her chest.

Tommy slightly jumped back as he turned to see Maura. He hadn't expected her to still be here. Replaying her question in his head, his mood dropped considerably as he bit his jaw. "What do you mean what the hell is my problem? The problem is Jane is nothing but a damn liar, that's what!"

Maura sucked her teeth as she stepped closer towards him. "How dare you! Your sister is not a liar! You, however, are an asshole! Jane sat there and poured her heart out to you, pleading with you to leave Craig alone because he _hurt_ her and you accuse her of _lying?_" Maura seethed, shaking her head.

Tommy let out a scoff and shook his head at Maura. "You really expect me to believe her?" Tommy asked, shifting his weight to his left leg and leaning across the wall as he sized Maura up. He had at least 8 inches in height on her. She was really cute but she had an attitude about her. Tommy figured it was from her hanging out with Jane so much. Shaking his head, he pushed him self off the wall and walked over to her, practically in her face. "See, only reason you do is because you two are best friends. But what you don't know is that Jane manipulates people. She lies and says shit that ain't true to get people on _her_ side, so they'll do whatever _she_ wants them to do. You just must be too blind to see it." Tommy concluded, but flinched as he saw Maura's hand rise then slap him across his face, causing him to stumble back quite a few feet.

"Don't you _ever_ say that about her again!" Maura yelled as Tommy touched his face. "She is not a manipulative liar! If anyone is Tommy, it's _you!_" Maura sneered, taking several steps back as Tommy approached her with a fire in his eyes. She became frightened when her back hit the wall and he got in her face again.

Tommy bit his jaw as he glared at the small blonde. "How about you never, ever dare to hit me in my face again." Tommy started in a threatening tone, brushing a strand of Maura's hair back behind her ear. "And… Maybe… You keep this between us instead of going and telling that little _girlfriend_ of yours." Tommy seethed, glaring down at Maura then smirking as he saw her eyes grow wide. "Oh yeah… I know all about you two. It's kinda obvious with you sneaking in & out of here all the time, then with the not-so-secret kisses you two share. It's kinda sickening when you think about it." He said disgusted and shook his head.

"Tommy… please…" Maura pleaded, wanting to distance herself from him. She was honestly afraid that he would hit her.

"Oh so now you're begging me huh? What? Am I scaring you?" Tommy taunted.

Maura swallowed thickly and tried to look anywhere but at Tommy's cold dark eyes. "I won't say anything." Maura mumbled far to low for Tommy to hear her.

Tommy squinted his eyes as he tried to make out what she said. "I'm sorry, I failed to understand you. Maybe you should speak up." Tommy sneered, grabbing a handful of Maura's hair and pulling her hair back so she was forced to look at him. Maura let out a yelp before Tommy threw his hand over her mouth to quiet her. "I didn't say to scream out, did I?" Tommy asked in the same threatening tone. His smirk grew wider as Maura shook her head, clearly frightened by him. He was enjoying being in control. "Good… Now, what was that you tried to say? And you better not scream out, otherwise bad things _will_ happen." Tommy threatened, slowly removing his hand from over Maura's mouth.

"I said… I won't say anything." Maura stammered, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"Good girl." Tommy sarcastically congratulated, letting go of Maura's hair and patting her on the back. "Now… I'm gonna go. And when I get back, I best not hear anything from my _annoying _sister that you ran your mouth to her. K princess?" Maura nodded her head and Tommy smiled. "Good. Catch you later toots."

With that, Tommy left the home, leaving Maura alone in the hallway. Maura fell to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. Maybe confronting wasn't the right thing to do. She just hoped that they will never have another encounter like that again.

… … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … … …. … … … … … … … … ….

A/N: Okay (1) I'm SOOOOOO sorry that I haven't updated in a long while. Just some stuff happened with my dad and family stuff. Things are better now though. (2) I will try to update weekly, as I will be starting back to school Aug 13. (3) This story is far from over. Just thought I'd point that out lol. (4) Sorry that this chapter isn't that long. I kinda had to throw the rest of it together so that way I can get on to the next one. (5) I'm sure a lot of you hate Tommy now and I know he'd never do anything like that in the show, but here… He does. His kind of an asshole… So… Yeah.

I hope you all liked this chapter, though it's not very lengthy this time! Please review! I love getting them! =) Thanks so much for the love & support!


	12. Right Here

Ch.12

Later that same day, Maura laid with Jane in her bed, looking up at the white ceiling, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Jane was the one to break the silence. "Do you think he hates me now?" She asked, still looking up at the ceiling.

Registering Jane's question in her head & realizing she was talking about Tommy hating her, Maura's breath hitched in her throat as an image of Tommy staring her down flashed through her head. Just the mere thought of the youngest Rizzoli sent a chill down her spine, and not in a good way. Tommy frightened her and she didn't like it one bit. Feeling Jane's eyes on her, Maura cleared her throat and gave Jane a small smile. "Brothers are weird. You never know how they'll react to a certain situation. I know from experience that Adam just stays to himself in awkward situations. And when he's upset, he just plays his video games." Maura said with a light laugh, trying to reassure Jane. She silently hoped that Jane didn't notice the shakiness in her voice. When Jane's attention diverted back to the ceiling, Maura let out a shaky breath.

"I just hope he doesn't hate me, ya know?" Jane said fidgeting with her fingers.

Maura sighed lightly and licked her lips, wanting desperately to change the subject. "You know…" Maura started sitting up in the bed. "Shawn is throwing a party tonight. His parents are going out of town for the weekend." Maura said poking Jane in her side. "We should go." She suggested, getting a groan from Jane.

"I'm not up for going to a party tonight, Maur." Jane whined, turning on her stomach and putting her head in her pillow.

Maura shook her head & smiled. The taller brunette hardly ever whined but when she did Maura thought it to be cute. "I think it'd do you some good to get out of the house for a bit Jane." Maura said, rubbing Jane's arm.

"I do get out." Jane countered, lifting her head up from the pillow to look at Maura. "I go to your house." She quipped, turning on her side & resting her head on her right hand.

The honey blonde couldn't help but to smile to at her friend. "Yes but you need to get out elsewhere. Be around other people." Maura added, laying back down and followed suit, resting her head on her left hand. "It'd really do you some good." Maura said again as she looked into Jane's chocolate brown eyes.

"Not if bitch face Jessica is there." Jane sneered, rolling her eyes at the mention of the tall bleach blonde.

"Jane, I highly doubt that she'll be there. Neither Shawn nor Stephanie can stand her, so I do not see her being invited. Or even told that there will be a party this evening." Maura pointed out, knowing that it wouldn't be too long before Jane gave in. Jane always liked to act like she wouldn't do what Maura wanted but in the end, she always did.

Jane sighed heavily as she looked back up at the ceiling, feeling defeated. She could never say no to Maura. Playfully rolling her eyes as the landed on Maura, Jane let out a huff. "Fine, I'll go to his little party."

Maura smiled widely & clapped her hands together excitedly. "Yay! Oh, we're going to have so much fun! I bet it'll be better than Jennifer's Halloween Party last year!"

Maura continued to ramble on as she walked around Jane's room, picking up various items then sitting them back down as she talked about all the fun they'd have that evening. Jane's eyes remained fixated on the small blonde, a smile on her face as she watched her. This would be the reason as to why she could never say no to Maura. She enjoyed seeing her happy. Besides, they'd have fun together. And anyhow, what's the worst that could possibly happen?"

… At Shawn's House …..

"Thanks for coming you two!" Shawn yelled over the loud music as he ushered Jane & Maura inside his home. "Sorry about the loud music! Austin is here & he's DJ for the evening!" Shawn explained, getting a nod from Jane. Maura appeared lost in her own little world as she looked around Shawn's enormous home. There were lights flashing everywhere. Shawn's eyes caught hers for a brief moment and he decided to explain more. "Umm, Madison from Home-Ec got the strobe lights and brought them. Uh, Steph's cousin hooked me up with some drinks and he's sorta "bartending" tonight." Shawn added, emphasize on the bartending part.

As Jane's eyes scanned the large living room, she realized that she hardly recognized anyone here except for a select few from class. "Who is all here?" Jane asked over the music. She faintly recognized the song that was playing as a hit called Paradise from Coldplay, one of her favorite bands.

"Well, I got a few friends from middle school to come, which you may or may not remember. Umm, then Stephanie told her brother Shane about the party, so he got some of his senior friends to come." Shawn replied as he looked around the room, his dark blue eyes landing on the one person he had been looking for all night. "Speaking of seniors, I see one now. Hey Donnie!" Shawn called out.

Jane's eyes grew wide as she followed Shawn's gaze. That was when she saw him. Donnie. Tall, mysterious, yet very handsome Donnie. "Why the hell is he here?" Jane asked in a sort of rude way, but not really intending for it to come out that way.

"Oh, he's been asking me about you." Shawn smirked as Donnie walked over at they did their "secret handshake" thing that guys do. "What's up man?"

Donnie, who stood at 6'4 white gorgeous blue eyes and buzz cut brown hair, shrugged his shoulders. "Not a whole lot. This party is cool though man! Great job." Donnie praised, his eyes landing on Jane. "So you're Jane huh?"

Jane couldn't seem to form words from her mouth so she just nodded her head. Feeling a little exposed and alone, she looked to her side to notice Maura was no longer standing there. Her eyes scanned the room before falling on the small blonde. She felt her heart beat steady as she noticed she was okay and was speaking with Stephanie.

"That's what's up. You here alone?" Donnie asked, taking a sip from his drink. Jane didn't dare question what it was.

"Uh no. I'm not actually. I'm here with my… Uh… Maura. I'm here with Maura." Jane replied, catching herself before she revealed that Maura was her girlfriend. That wouldn't be too good to put it out there with people here that she hardly knew, if at all.

"Maura… Hmmm… Oh, isn't she the really weird one with the blonde hair? Little short nerdy girl?" Donnie questioned with an amused tone. Shawn tried to get his attention to not go there but it was too late.

"Umm…. Yes… She's not weird though. Nor is she nerdy. Just because she's not some idiot cheerleader or a jock, that doesn't been she's a nerd." Jane said defensively.

"You serious? That girl is like, the definition of weird. Bruh, forreal is she like here right now?" Donnie asked, looking down at Shawn.

"Yeah! She's here! With me! And if you got a problem with that, you can leave _bruh_." Jane retorted, motioning towards the door.

Donnie pursed his lips at her before looking back at Shawn. "Can't believe you invite people like her here."

That comment sent Jane over the edge and sent her fist flying to his face, connecting with his jaw and sending him to the floor.

"_Oh shit!" _A group of people said in unison as the saw the confrontation.

"Shawn shouldn't invite people like _you_ here, you fake ass mother fucker. And now you know me. Jane Rizzoli bitch and I'm _very_ protective over my friends. Say another word about Maura and your ass will be in the hospital." Jane threatened, meaning every word she said as she sent a glare at Shawn, who threw his hands up defensively, then walked over to Maura & Stephanie, who were both oblivious to what had just happened.

"Hey Jane! Maura said you were here but I didn't see you!" Stephanie said, engulfing Jane in a warm hug.

"Hey Steph." Jane greeted, her eyes falling on Maura. "You okay, Maur?" Jane asked, nudging Maura with her shoulder.

Maura's eyes lit up as she smiled at Jane. "Yes! I'm having so much fun Jane! Please tell me that you'll dance with me at some point tonight?" Maura pleaded, batting her eyelashes at Jane.

Jane felt her anger fade away and it was replaced with happiness as a smile spread across her face. "Of course. But it may just be one though, alright?" Jane said, wrapping her arm around Maura's waist. Noticing a few people giving Maura a rude stare, Jane kissed the side of Maura's forehead before excusing herself. "I'll be right back babe."

Maura's eyes followed Jane as she walked off towards a small group that was leaning up against the kitchen wall. She noticed that one of the girls' eyes widened as Jane approached them. She felt the groups' eyes on her before they looked back at Jane. Whatever Jane was saying to them, the tall dark haired boy didn't appreciate it too much. She noticed Jane lean in towards the young male and he backed away from him, his eyes softening a bit as he looked back at Maura. The group nodded in unison before Jane started back towards Maura & Jane. "What on earth did you say to them?" Maura questioned, taking a sip of her drink that Stephanie had mixed for her so she had really no idea as to what it was; only that it was rather tasty.

Jane shrugged her shoulders as she looked back at the group, whose eyes were trained on her. "Not a whole lot." Jane replied, placing a kiss on Maura's lips, surprised Maura to hell and back.

"Umm, I thought you said no PDA?" Maura asked, licking her lips.

"Mmm, you taste good. What are you drinking? Oh and I could care less what people think." Jane answered with a smile, placing another kiss on Maura's lips.

Stephanie stood there watching the two of them interact with a smile on her face. _"It's about damn time these two got together."_ Stephanie thought to herself as she took a sip of her vodka and Big Red; more with Big Red than vodka. "So, you've seen Shawny right?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink.

Jane turned her attention to Stephanie and nodded her head. "Yeah, I saw him. Oh and advise your idiot brother to _never_ invite asshole Donnie to another party, again." Jane said, rubbing the small of Maura's back with her thumb.

Stephanie's eyes widened but she didn't say anything, just nodded her head in response as her eyes danced around the room, searching for Shawn. Her eyes finally found him, sitting on the edge of his couch. "I see Shawn, I'm gonna go talk to him really quick." Stephanie excused herself, patting Jane on her shoulder.

Jane reached out for a sip of Maura's drink, happy when Maura handed it over to her. Lifting the cup up to her nose, she smelt it, the scent burning her nose a bit. "Mmm, what is this?" Jane asked, examining the concoction.

"I honestly do not know. Stephanie just got it made for me." Maura replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Jane furrowed her brow as she took a sip of the red drink, licking her lips as she brought the cup back down from her lips. "Mmm… Tastes yummy." Jane said, handing the drink back to Maura. "Wish I knew what it was." She added, leaning against the wall.

Maura gave Jane a small smile as she took another sip of her mixed drink. But she almost spit her drink out at the sight of Tommy.

"What's the matter?" Jane asked noticing a weird look in Maura's eyes, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Her eyes followed Maura's gaze before falling on her baby brother. "Tommy." She whispered, looking at her brother as he stood against the kitchen counter, talking to some girl Jane slightly recognized from her History class.

Maura let out a shaky breath before grabbing Jane's hand. "Why don't we go back into the living room? You did promise me a dance." Maura reminded Jane with a fake smile. She honestly just wanted to get the hell away from Tommy. Maura pulled Jane into the living room, smiling at Shawn as she brushed against him. A song came on that Maura faintly recognized but couldn't place the song or the singer, but she still had the sudden urge to dance. "Come on, we can dance to this song!" Maura suggested, sitting her drink on the nightstand.

"Ugh, really? We have to dance right now?" Jane groaned.

"Yes Jane. Right now, right here." Maura smirked as the singer started to sing.

_Baby, I'm here, I'm here to stay_

_I ain't going nowhere_

_I know you're scared cause you've been hurt_

_Baby it's alright_

_Lost in your eyes everytime that you look in mine_

Maura swayed her hips in tune with the music as she danced closer to Jane, trying to encourage her to dance as well. Looking into Jane's eyes, Maura took Jane's hands in hers and pulled her towards her.

_I promise to be all that you need_

_I won't leave you baby_

_No cause I just wanna love you_

_I would never ever put nobody up above you_

_I just wanna kiss you baby, I just wanna hug you till the end, baby till the end_

Jane fell in step with the beat of the song as she rested her hands on Maura's hips. Leaning down towards Maura and forgetting about everyone else present, Jane kissed Maura softly on her lips.

_And I'm right here, ain't nobody gotta hold you_

_Cause I'm right here, ain't nobody gon' control you_

_Cause I'm right, right here_

_I'm right here, I'm right here, I'm right here_

_Right here, right here, yeah_

Jane felt her breathing quicken as Maura turned with her back leaning into her chest and slowly grinded against her. Swallowing thickly, Jane ran her hand up Maura's spine, unknowingly sending a shiver through her. "You do know that you look so beautiful, right?" Jane breathed huskily into Maura's ear.

Maura smiled in response before turning around in Jane's arms. "What do you say about heading back to your place? To be quite honest, my head is feels like it's starting to spin." Maura admitted, placing a hand on her forehead as if to emphasize her point.

Jane nodded her head and grabbed Maura's hand. She looked up and saw several people gawking at her. "The hell you looking at?" Jane sneered as she walked past them with Maura in front of her, shaking her head. "I swear, people act like they've never seen two females dance together before."

"I think that they are not accustomed to seeing two females dancing together so seductively. Well that and kissing one another." Maura stated, her words slurring a bit.

Jane smiled at her drunk girlfriend and shook her head. "I think that you're a bit buzzed my dear." Jane teased, poking Maura in her side.

Maura's mouth flew open as she looked up at Jane. "I most certainly am not buzzed!" Maura slurred, causing Jane to laugh.

"You talking just further proves my point." Jane laughed, holding Maura against her as they walked down the sidewalk towards Jane's home. Smiling, Jane pulled Maura's black leather jacket around her shoulders. "You look like you're freezing to death." Jane said, rubbing Maura's cool arms. "We may want to try to hurry home." She added, quickening her pace but not too fast so that Maura wouldn't fall over herself.

Once they approached the Rizzoli home, Jane instantly felt a weird vibe. She squinted her eyes before opening the front door quietly. She led Maura inside the warm home before closing the door behind her. Jane decided to listen for a moment before making any other movements.

"_I said forget it, Angela!" _Jane's father, Frank yelled.

"_Forget it? You want me to just forget all about our marriage Frank? About our children that we have together?" _Angela retorted.

Jane stood at the front door rather confused about just what the hell was going on at that moment. "Janie-" Maura started before being shushed by Jane.

"_Just forget about it! It doesn't matter, alright?"_

"_Doesn't matter huh? So it doesn't matter that we've been married 22 years and you're sleeping with some 23 year old whore?! Tell me that doesn't matter, Frank!" _

"Angela shut up you're embarrassing yourself!" Frank retorted, walking out into the living room but stopping short as he saw Jane & Maura standing at the front door.

"How dare you! Telling me I'm embarrassing myself, you should be embarrassed for…" Angela said but stopped talking as she too walked into the living room and noticed Jane's presence. "Janie-" Angela started but Jane shook her head.

"What in the hell is going on?" Jane demanded looking back and forth between her parents.

"Janie-" Frank started, stepping towards his daughter but stopping when Jane backed away from him.

"You cheating on ma, pop?" Jane questioned, her eyes flaring with anger.

"Let me explain, Janie-"

"Explain what pop?!" Jane yelled, looking back at her mother who had tears glistening in her eyes. "What the hell did you do to her?!" She yelled again, getting a warning glare from her father.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that Jane! I'm your father!" Frank yelled.

"Don't yell at her Frank! She didn't do this, you did!" Angela defended walking past Frank and in front of Jane. "I would like for you to leave, right now! If you're lucky, you can come back in the morning. Right now, I want you to go." Angela demanded, not backing down from Frank.

Frank shook his head and stormed out the front door, not saying a word.

Jane fought the urge to cry as her mother enveloped her into a hug. "I'm so sorry that you walked in on that honey." Angela apologized, rubbing Jane's back. Maura just stood there next to Jane, looking rather confused.

"How long was it going on, Ma?" Jane asked as she pulled away from her mother, wiping her teary eyes.

Angela opened her mouth to say something but closed it back, wanting to choose her words very carefully. "I honestly don't know Janie. I really don't. I just found out not long ago. I just… I didn't want to tell you or your brothers. I knew it would hurt you too much." Angela explained tearfully.

Jane nodded her head then shook it. "I just don't understand how he could do something like this to you." Jane shook her head again and wiped her eyes. "When you supposedly love someone, you don't cheat on them. You don't do that."

Maura's eyes widened as she looked back & forth between Jane & Angela. "You mean your dad cheated on your mom?" She asked rather surprised.

Jane laughed lightly and shook her head. "Honey, how the hell did you just miss that?" Jane laughed.

Angela smiled slightly and shook her own head, wanting to correct Jane on using curse words but deciding against it. It was harmful anyhow. She just didn't want her using it all the time around her. Letting out a tired sigh, Angela let her arms fall to her side. "Well, you girls so and umm.. Try to get some sleep, alright?"

"Ma-"

"I'll be alright Janie. I know it's hard but just try to forget about what happened alright? Try to get some sleep, both of you." Angela said, rubbing both of their shoulders. "And Janie…" Angela started waiting for Jane to look at her. When she did, she replied, "You may want to give her some water and bread. You don't need her puking in the middle of the night or in the morning. I don't think her mother would appreciate it too much if she came home with a hangover."

Jane's mouth dropped. "You know and you don't care?"

"I'm not saying I don't care Janie. I'm saying that we've both been through a lot lately and I'm gonna let it slide this one, you hear?" Angela said pointing a finger at Jane. Jane nodded her head and Angela smiled. "Good. Now go get some sleep." She ordered, walking off towards her own bedroom.

Jane looked at Maura, who was half out of it, then grabbed her arm, leading her into the kitchen. "Okay, so momma said water and bread. So let's get that in ya." Jane said, letting Maura rest against the counter.

"I'm not hungry though." Maura countered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I know but you need to eat something. Just one slice of bread, okay?" Jane tried but Maura just shook her head. Jane rolled her eyes playfully and walked over to Maura, placing her hands on Maura's hips. "Would you please do this for me? I don't want you to go home tomorrow morning with a hangover. Plus, I hate the smell of puke. It makes me want to puke myself. So please… eat." Jane pleaded, holding out a piece of bread for Maura to eat. Maura groaned but took the bread anyways and took a bite out of it. Jane smiled victoriously and poured Maura a tall, cold glass of water. "Here, straight from the fountain of youth." Jane joked, handing Maura the cup. Slouching her shoulders, Maura took a large gulp of water and sat it down on the counter.

"I am not drunk Jane. I may be a little buzzed but I'm not drunk. We do not need to run through these hurdles." Maura retorted, making Jane smile.

"Well then, let's just go to bed shall we?" Jane asked, allowing Maura to walk ahead of her. As the approached Jane's room, Maura came to an abrupt halt. "Why'd ya stop?"

Maura felt fear start to encompass her. This was almost the exact same spot Tommy had her at earlier when he had her pushed against the wall. Shaking the feeling from her chest, she ignored Jane's question and walked into the bedroom, jumping on Jane's bed. "You do know your bed is very comfortable." Maura stated as she fell back onto the mattress, feeling the silky fabric of the comforter.

"I believe I've heard you say it once or twice, yes. But I like yours much better." Jane admitted laying down next to Maura.

Maura shook her hair from her face as she looked at Jane's lips. She remembered earlier when Jane had kissed her, remembering the faint taste of mint from her lips. Looking into Jane's eyes, Maura moved from her spot on the bed and straddled Jane's lap.

"Hey, what you doing there cowgirl?" Jane asked in a joking tone, but was quickly silenced as Maura's lips crashed down onto hers. Maura's tongue slid across Jane's bottom lip, seeking entrance, and was graciously accepted by Jane's mouth as it opened. Jane moaned against Maura's lips then jumped back as she heard a knock on her door.

"Janie, can I come in?"

Jane sighed and slid out from underneath Maura. "Yeah come on in Frankie." Jane groaned, lying next to Maura. The door opened and Frankie entered, looking rather sad. "What's the matter?" Jane asked worriedly.

"Huh? Nothing. Do you know what's wrong with ma?" Frankie asked, sitting at the edge of Jane's bed.

Jane sighed and shook her head, deciding not to say anything to Frankie about the situation with her mother and _Frank_. She didn't even want to call him her father anymore. "I don't know. I think she's just stressed out a bit. Aunt Jen is in the hospital and it's not looking too good." Jane replied, telling only half the truth. Her aunt really was in the hospital. She just didn't want to tell her about her mother's _other_ situation.

"Oh… Okay. Just wondering." Frankie said, standing up from the bed but not leaving Jane's room. "So uh… You two are together huh?" he asked, looking back & forth between Jane & Maura.

Jane's mouth dropped as she looked back at Maura, who was out in space again. "Umm… Wha.. What makes you think that?" Jane stammered.

Frankie smiled and shook his head. "I was kinda at the party Janie. But don't worry, I'm happy for you guys." He smiled then patted Jane's foot. "Love you Janie."

Maura's eyes widened as she looked at Frankie, getting an idea in her head. "Frankie wait!" She said, jumping up from the bed and running over to him.

Frankie furrowed his brow as he looked at her. Looking back at Jane, he saw that she was just as confused about this as he was. "What's up, Maur?" He asked.

Maura licked her lips then looked back at Jane before looking at Frankie. "May I talk to you about something really quick? It's rather important."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A/N: This one is quite a bit longer! Which makes me happy. I think this is the most that I have EVER wrote! Lol. Hopefully it's not all due to the lyrics. Good thing I didn't put the whole song in there, otherwise it would've been _really _long. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And… Will Maura tell Frankie about the whole Tommy situation? Or does she need to speak with him about something else? We shall see.

Thank you all again for sticking with me and all the reviews! I know I said I'd update weekly but I wanted you all to read this one! Lol.

Please review, I love the story alerts & favorites, but I love reviews! It lets me know what you all think of my story and how it progressing! So if you like it, review. Heck, even if you hate it, review! Lol. Please and thanks!


	13. Fix You

A/N :Guys, I'm extremely sorry that it took me so long to update! I was without a computer for a while and was only to get on through my phone. Anyhow, I also would like to apologize because this chapter is... well... kinda short. I hate writing short chapters but this was a build up for what's to come in the next chapter, which btw some of you may hate me for... Then against maybe not... But I'm still betting that you will lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for you all for waiting for me and thanks for all the alerts and reviews! Love reviews so please give em! =D

**Reviews Are Constructive criticism**

Ch.13 - Fix You

(Continuing from last chapter)

Frankie raised his eyebrow as he looked at Maura. "What's up?" Frankie asked her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Maura said nothing, she just grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room, throwing Jane a soft smile as they left. Maura pushed Frankie into his room and closed the door behind her. Frankie threw his hands up, clearly confused at to what the heck was going on. "What the hell Maur? You're starting to freak me out a bit. What's going on?" He asked again, noticing how small and feral Maura looked. He knew something was up, he just didn't know what.

Maura opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. _"Just tell him Maura! Tommy said he'd hurt you if you told _Jane_, but he said nothing about telling Frankie."_ Maura fought with herself inside her head. Her eyes met Frankie's inquisitive ones and she knew she had to tell him now or later. Taking in a deep breath, Maura let it all slip out. "Well, Jane confided to Tommy about something that your cousin Craig did to her a long time ago and she told Tommy because she didn't want him to hang around Craig anymore. But when she told him, he got all angry and he didn't believe her. He went as far as calling her a liar and you know as well as I do, Jane is _not _a liar! Anyways, being the good friend that I am-"

"And girlfriend." Frankie pointed out with a small smile. He knew that Jane & Maura were together and he was very happy for them. But he didn't know about what went on with Jane & Craig but from the way Maura was talking, it wasn't anything good. From the way it sounded, it was all really bad.

"Er... Right... But anyhow, I confronted Tommy and told him that I didn't appreciate the way he talked to Jane and called her all those names. Well, he in turn became real angry with me and pushed me against the wall. He pulled me by the hair and threatened me. He said that if I mouthed a word to Jane, he would hurt me." Maura choked out, her head falling. She was beyond ashamed. She would've never let any man speak to her that way. Yet she had seemed powerless when Tommy had done it. She was just so shocked that he had reacted that way towards her.

Frankie bit down on his bottom lip and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. He could feel his blood start to boil inside of him. He wanted nothing more than to find Tommy and rip his head from his shoulders. But as he looked at Maura, he knew he could do nothing of the sort. At least not at that moment. Maura needed him. And more importantly Jane needed to know what happened, and Maura needed Jane to know. Sighing, Frankie lifted his hands and rested them on Maura's shoulders. "Maura listen to me, okay? My idiot brother isn't going to do _anything_ to you, alright? If he so much as just breathes on you, I will end him. Okay? I promise you that I will not let him do anything to you."

Maura lifted her head and wiped her teary eyes. "You can't make that promise to me, Frankie. Tommy is your brother."

"So? He's gonna threaten you and talk about Jane the way he did? To hell with him! You're more like a sister to me than he is a brother to me! Besides... Mom didn't want anyone to know... But Tommy is our half-brother. He has a different mother." Frankie confessed, getting a surprised look from Maura. "But it'd be best if you didn't mention to anyone you know that alright?" When Maura nodded her head, he rubbed her shoulders. "But I do promise you Maura that I will protect you. And I know Janie will too.. That is as soon as we tell her what's going on." With that, Frankie walked past Maura, with her following him on his heels, and he walked into Jane's room.

"What's going on?" Jane asked, looking back & forth between Maura and her little brother. She knew something was up, she could feel it in her bones.

"Janie..." Frankie started, licking his lips and taking a seat at the end of Jane's bed. He looked back at Maura and grabbed her hand, pulling her down to sit on the other side of the bed as well. "Jane... Why didn't you tell me about what happened with Craig?" Frankie asked, unable to look Jane in the eye. He knew that if he saw the look she had in her eyes at the moment, he would break down. He hated seeing Jane upset.

Jane felt a shiver go down her spine at the question. It was highly unexpected. When she saw that Frankie couldn't even meet her eye, it made her feel more ashamed. "Because I knew you'd feel how you feel right now. Ashamed and disappointed with me for letting something like that happen." Jane cried, holding her head down.

Frankie's eyes tore from the ground and went to his sister. He scooted closer to Jane and grabbed her hands. "Listen to me Janie. I am _not_ upset with you. Nor am I ashamed or disappointed. You didn't let that happen, alright? You didn't ask for it to! It was Craig's fault! He was the asshole to do that shit to you. Janie... I just wish you would've trusted me enough to know I would never be ashamed of you... or to think you were lying to me. I know you wouldn't do nothing like that. You're not a liar." Frankie brushed a strand of hair from Jane's face and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm not Tommy Janie. I'd never accuse you of lying to me. I trust you with all my heart." Frankie said sincerely.

Jane gave him a small smile and looked over at Maura. She knew that there was something else they wanted to say. "Thank you Frankie." She smiled, licking her lips. "But is there something else you want to tell me?" Jane asked raising an eyebrow.

Frankie looked back at Maura who looked like she was about to break at any moment. Swallowing thickly, Frankie took his right hand and grabbed Maura's hand reassuringly. "Yeah umm... There is Janie." He said, glancing down at the floor so he could regain his composure. He didn't want Jane to see just how angry he really was with not only Craig but Tommy as well. "Tommy ummm... He threatened Maura today." Frankie confessed.

"What?!" Jane replied angrily, looking over at Maura. Jane grabbed Maura's hand and pulled her towards her, wrapping her into a hug. "Honey, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because he said if I told you, he'd hurt me." Maura cried into Jane's shirt.

Jane pulled back from Maura and wiped her eyes. "Maura, listen to me. Tommy will not do anything to you, alright? I will fucking kill him before he even tries to." Jane promised. Maura just nodded her head, resting it against Jane's chest. Jane sighed & shook her head as she looked up at Frankie. "Thank you Frankie, for being understanding about the whole thing... thank you also for bringing this to my attention."

"No problem Janie. But I'll be on lookout too, alright? He ain't gonna get anywhere near her." Frankie promised, rising from the bed. "I'll see you two on the morning, right?" Frankie asked, receiving a nod from Jane. "Alright well, just come get me if you need anything." Frankie urged, getting another nod from Jane. He threw her a small smile before leaving the room.

Jane's eyes fell down to Maura, who was still laying against her chest. "Maura?" Jane started, causing Maura's head to lift up from Jane's chest and hazel eyes met fierce brown ones. "I swear to you that I will _not_ let Tommy do anything to you." Jane promised again, her eyes dark and fierce. Maura squeezed Jane's hand in response as a question pondered in Jane's mind. It was a question that always piqued the brunette's thoughts, yet it was one that she never wanted to ask. It was a "right time, right place" type of question, though there never really seemed to be a right place or a right time. And as the old saying goes "There's no time like the present." So Jane decided just to ask. "Maur, can I ask you a question?" Jane asked squeezing Maura's hand. Maura nodded her head against Jane's chest. Jane took in a deep breath and licked her suddenly dry lips before asking the forbidden question. "How did you dad die?" There. She asked it. It was now out in the open and it was Maura's turn to either answer it, or refuse to talk about it. Either way, Jane was glad to finally have asked it. If Maura didn't want to talk about it, she'd never ask it again.

Maura took in a sharp intake of air as the words dropped from Jane's lips. Sighing heavily, Maura lifted her head once more to meet Jane's questioning eyes. She had always wanted to tell Jane about her father, but the memory was just so sad, she didn't want to bring Jane's mood down as well. But seeing as how her mood was already dampened and it was Jane to ask, Maura couldn't keep the memory to herself.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Jane offered, earning a small smile from Maura, who shook her head in response.

"Well ummm... this plays into the whole story but... Well... I was adopted." Maura admitted, Jane giving her a surprised look. "I do not know who my birth parents are and quite frankly I don't care to know. I mean, occasionally I think about how it will be if I ever meet them, but seeing as how they've never tried to find me, I don't see a point in trying. My parents never mentioned anything about them either. But anyways... Back to my father... There was one day when I was 7, I was playing in my room with my little doctor kit." Maura started with a slight laugh. Jane gave her a reassuring squeeze and she went on. "All of a sudden, something busted through my window and caught my room on fire." Maura's voice shook as she recalled the dark memory. "My father was home with me that day. Mother took Adam out to get some shoes or something. My father heard me screaming and crying for help and he ran into my room. As soon as he saw how much the fire was spreading closer and closer to the door, he ran over to me and broke the rest of my window out for me to climb through. He got me out and told me to wait nearby the tree while he got out. Well... He never got out. He got trapped in my room. The window was far too small for him to climb through and the fire had spread to the hallway. He got caught on something in my room but I cannot remember what." Maura choked on her tears remembering the look on her fathers face as she watched him from far away. "No one else, not the neighbors or anybody came out to help. They were all too invested in their own lives. I had to watch my father be engulfed by the flames. That's why I never told you, Jane. I hate reliving it." Maura cried, Jane pulling her back to her chest.

Jane felt terrible for making Maura retell that horrific story. But she couldn't take it back now. She couldn't erase the horrible memory from Maura's mind, though she wished that she could.

"I wish that he would've left me there. I wish that he would've gotten out and just left me there to take his place." Maura cried out again.

Jane pulled back as her eyes flashed with hurt. "Don't you say that Maura. Don't! Your father would've died anyways, in a way. He would've lost you! He would've lost his one and only daughter! And it would've killed your mother too! And Adam!"

"It already hurt them because my father was gone. I can't help but think they would've been less saddened by my death." Maura choked.

"That is not true! Your mother loves you! When you were in that accident with Randy, it killed her! She was so afraid to lose you! And so was Adam! And... Maura... If you would've died that night... It would've killed me too. I would've lost the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me in my life. And if you would've died in that fire, I never would've even met you." Jane cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't even want to think about what life would've been like if I hadn't met you. I can't even imagine my life without you in it because you _are_ my life Maura."

Maura gave Jane a sad smile as she leaned into her, laying her head against Jane's chest. "I love you, Jane Clemetine Rizzoli."

"Oh my God, really? You swore that you'd never call me that!" Jane teased, getting a laugh from Maura, which in turn caused Jane to smile. "But, I love you too, Maura Dorthea Isles." Jane replied, placing a kiss on Maura's head. "Let's get some sleep, k?" Maura nodded her head against Jane's chest as they both fell back against Jane's bed, both still in the same position. "Love you Maura."

"I love you too Jane." Maura replied, closing her eyes as she listened to the steady beat of Jane's heart. Within minutes, the weight of the day lulled them both to a deep slumber. Yet neither were quite ready as the chaos that was to come.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. ..

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	14. Chaos Lives In Everything

**A/N: Okay so before I begin this chapter, I just wanted to say that I am so very sorry for taking so long to update. I've been very busy with school and then some stuff has been going on at home and I just haven't had quite enough time to write. But this just all came to me at once last night so if it seems like a piece of $h!t then I am really sorry lol. But hopefully you all like and enjoy this chapter (kind of). The NEXT one... You may really hate me. I know I said that last chapter about this chapter but what I wanted to put in this chapter well.. It wouldn't have been right because... Well for one.. A lot of shit will happen in this chapter.. Just saying... So without further ado (s?), here's chapter 14!**

Ch. 14 - Chaos Lives In Everything

Later that evening, Jane grabbed Maura by the hand and led her up the tree near the roof. With an athletic jump, Jane landed ontop of the roof gracefully and stretched out her hand for Maura to grab it.

"Come on, I won't let you fall Maur I swear." Jane promised, still reaching out for Maura's hand.

"Jane, you cannot be serious. It's been snowing lately and the roof is probably full of ice, or at the least very slippery." Maura said a cautious tone to her voice.

"Maura I swear to you, I just climbed up her earlier when I was waiting for you to get back from the store with your mom. It's not slippery at all. The sun melted away what snow was up here, so now it's just like... wet but I did bring a blanket, remember?" Jane said, lifting up the big, thick blue blanket that she held in her right hand. "Please? Just for a little bit." Jane coaxed, her hand still stretched out for Maura to take it.

With an audible sigh, Maura gave in and grabbed Jane's hand, which hoisted her up ontop of the roof. With a light thud, she landed next to Jane. Maura smiled meekly at Jane and looked down at the ground. "Well... At least we up aren't too high. You do know I'm afraid of heights."

"Ha-ha, yeah I think I remember." Jane started, laying out to blanket for them to lie on. "It was, what, two years ago when we went to the fair and I somehow convinced you to ride the ferris wheel with me?"

"You did so by betting me $20 that I wouldn't be able to ride it. I don't like being told what I can and cannot do, so I did it to prove to you that I could ride the ferris wheel." Maura said, shaking her head at the memory.

"Yeah yeah, then when we got to the very top and we stopped, you started freaking out and yelling, 'Oh my God, we're stuck! We're gonna die! We'll never be able to get down from here!'" Jane laughed as she recalled that hot August day. "Man, your face was _priceless!_ I can remember the old wench in front of us looking back and shaking her head."

"Ha-ha, yeah and you said 'What's your problem you old hag? Haven't you ever heard of someone being afraid of heights?' Ha-ha-ha, she didn't look back anymore after that." Maura laughed, shaking her head once more.

"Well, she didn't need to look at you like you were an idiot. It was my fault anyhow. If I never would've asked you to ride that thing, you would've been alright."

"Yes, but then you wouldn't have know I was afraid of heights. I don't like sharing that information with too many people." Maura admitted as she sat on the blanket next to Jane. "It would just cause people to make fun of me more."

Jane gave Maura a sad smile and scooted closer to her, favoring the warmth radiating from Maura's small figure. "I'm glad I was never mean to you like that. You know, making fun of you and such."

"Well, you still picked on me sometimes."

Jane was taken aback by this. "Since when did I pick on you?" Jane asked, amused.

"Whenever I tripped over my own shoe when we were playing basketball, you called me clumsy. Then there was that time when you laughed at me whenever I first started my period-"

"Oh come on! I was just kidding both times! I wasn't serious! Plus, I would never like... Intentionally make fun of you or make you feel bad." Jane said searching Maura's face and seeing the sadness in her eyes. "Maur... I really am sorry about that. I never meant to make you feel bad or anything." Jane apologized opening her arms up to give Maura a warm hug.

Maura fell into her open arms and laid her head against Jane's shoulder. "I know. I guess I'm just overly sensitive."

"No... Well yeah but that's one of the many things I love about you." Jane said, rubbing Maura's back. As Jane pulled back, she gave Maura a soft smile before laying back on the roof. "Man, these stars sure are beautiful tonight." Jane said, awestruck of how the stars shone in the bright moonlight.

"I know, isn't it beautiful? I can even see _Canis Major_." Maura exclaimed with a bright smile.

Jane turned her head to look at her, clearly confused. "What's 'Canis Major?'"

"Oh! It's a constellation. 'The Great Dog' is also what it's known as. The brightest star that makes up the constellation is Sirius. Sirius is known as the 'Dog Star.' It's actually a double star. It's also about 20 times brighter than the sun. Fun fact, huh?" Maura concluded, the bright smile still on her face. Though Jane didn't quite appear to be listening to her. She was just staring at her. "Jane, what is it?"

"You're amazing, I just want you to know that." Jane said barely above a whisper. Maura blushed ever so slightly and looked away from Jane. Grabbing Maura's face, Jane made her look at her and placed a warm kiss upon her lips. Pulling away, Jane looked deep into Maura's hazel orbs. "This night couldn't be anymore perfect." Jane smiled, her lips meeting Maura's once more.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... The Next Morning ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jane nestled against the soft silk next to her and breathed in the fresh scent of wild strawberries. Squinting her eyes in confusion, her eyes slowly fluttered open and Jane realized where the smell was coming from. Her face was pretty much buried in Maura's hair, her right arm draped across Maura's midsection and her legs intertwined with Maura's. Jane laughed to herself and laid her head back against the pillow, allowing her fingers to run through Maura's silky strands. She could definitely get used to this; waking up next to Maura in the morning, running her-

"What the hell?" Jane murmured to herself as her senses awoke and she heard the faint sound of yelling. She quickly was able to pick out Frankie's distinctive voice but couldn't quite distinguish the other voice. Carefully untangling herself from Maura's grasp, Jane tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it. At first all she heard was loud mumbling, then she heard the loud croaking of Tommy. Her brow furrowed and she threw the door open, but closed it back quietly, walking with authority out to the living room where the voices were coming from.

"I didn't do shit and you can't prove it Frankie!" Tommy yelled, pointing a finger at his older brother.

"So Maura's just lying then huh? Just like you think Jane was?" Frankie defended, not hearing Jane come in.

"They're both nothing but lying bitches anyhow." Tommy retorted, but he wanted to take those words back as Jane came into view. Instead of backing down like his gut told him to, he stood his ground and pushed his chest out.

"So I'm a bitch now Tommy?" Jane asked, hurt evident in her voice. "Is that really what you think of me?"

"It's what I know Jane. All you ever do is try to take away my friends!" Tommy yelled at her.

"I don't give two shits about who your friends are! And frankly, if you think that _Craig _is your friend, you're nothing but a dumbass!" Jane yelled back at him. Before she knew it, Tommy sprung towards her and tackled her to the ground. Just as he was about to punch her in the face, he was thrown backwards. Jane pushed herself up from the ground and took in the sight in front of her. Frankie was ontop of Tommy, pummeling him and Tommy, like the bitch he is, screamed out like a baby.

Not seeing any other option, Tommy lifted his leg up and kicked Frankie in his balls, sending him to the other side of him. As he stood up, he felt rather dizzy, but he was still able to pick out Jane laying down on the floor. His anger flaring up again, he stormed over to her and picked her up by the hair. Once again, as he was about to lay a hand on her, he was grabbed from the back of his neck and flung onto the ground. Half expecting it to be Frankie, Tommy looked back, but became rather confused when he saw Frankie still lying on the ground, writhing in pain. His eyes lifted up and he felt fear build up inside of him. "Dad?!"

"What in the hell is your problem Thomas?!" Frank yelled holding Jane in his arms. "You don't ever, _ever_ put your hands on a woman, let alone your sister! There's not a damn reason in the world for you to be hitting her!" He continued, rubbing Jane's back.

Hearing all the commotion, Angela came running out from her bedroom and her eyes set on Frankie, who was still on the floor. "Frankie!" Angela yelled, running over to kneel next to her son. Her eyes were filled with anger as she glared up at Tommy. "What in the hell did you do and why, Thomas Anthony Rizzoli?!"

"Why do you automatically assume it was me?" Tommy yelled.

"Because your sister is over there, shaking with your father's arms wrapped around her and Frankie is lying here on the floor! You explain to me now what the hell happened!"

"I just got home and Frankie started on me! Then Jane came out flapping her jaws and yelling at me, then outta nowhere, Frankie attacks me!" Tommy lied through his teeth, and Frankie wasn't gonna let it go unnoticed.

"Don't you dare lie Tommy! You knocked Jane off her damn feet and was about to hit her in the face! That's why I went after you, you dumb idiot!" Frankie yelled, still doubled over on the floor.

"Why were you trying to hit Jane, Tommy?" Frank demanded, still holding Jane in his arms.

This time, Tommy was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say. So he did the only thing he knew to do in awkward situations. "Well she asked for it! She was all like 'Come at me, bro!' So I did and then Frankie came after me!"

"You are nothing but a Goddamn liar!" Jane finally yelled out, causing everyone to look at her. "You got mad at me because I called you a dumbass for thinking Craig was really a friend to you!"

"He is my friend!" Tommy countered.

"A real friend wouldn't attack your sister then convince you that if she ever tried telling you that, that she's lying!" Frankie retorted, earning surrised glances from Angela & Frank. Both of the parents looked at Jane for a further explanation.

"Janie? Is that true? Did... Did Craig attack you?" Angela asked, hoping that it really wasn't true. There was no way that it could've been true. She would've noticed it surely... Wouldn't a mother notice if their daughter was assaulted or attacked? When Jane refused to meet hers or Frank's eye, Angela was hit with the tragic truth. Jane didn't have to say anything, her actions said it all. Angela felt like she was hit by a bus. All these feelings and emotions began to rush through her. From hurt to anger to sadness to just feeling helpless. She was angry at herself for not noticing that something was off with her eldest child. Sure, Jane was a little bit more irritable and she was known to fly off the handle for the slightest reason. And then there was the fact that Jane hardly hung out with any male except for Shawn or Frankie. But Angela had put that off as Jane just being Jane and growing up, when all along it was much, _much_ deeper than that.

A movement from the hallway caught Angela's & Frank's attention and both of their eyes diverted to the hallway, where they both saw Maura standing, well, leaning against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks. _Maura knew too._ Angela thought to herself. It hurt Angela to know that Jane didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her about what happened, but in a way Angela also understood. Her eyes met Frank's, who looked as if he was about to break down as well. Why he was in the house at that moment didn't really matter to her. She just thanked God that he was here, because he was the one who walked in on all this mess. Who knows what would've happened if Frank hadn't shown up?

Pushing herself to her feet, Angela slowly walked over to Jane and pulled her into her arms. She half expected Jane to pull away, so she was shocked when Jane actually wrapped both arms around her mother and laid her head against her chest, shaking with tears. Angela let her own tears fall as she held her daughter.

Tommy stood at the far corner of the living room, shocked. He couldn't believe at what just unfolded in front of him. So many emotions and thoughts were running through him at that very moment. Anger, hurt, disappointment, and sorrow. Extreme sorrow. He hadn't believed his own sister. His own flesh and blood. Instead, he believed Craig, which he honestly shouldn't have. Now that he thought about it, the more he realized how odd it was that Craig would've even brought the subject of what happened up, but he quickly denied it and shot it down. At first, Tommy agreed with Craig. He thought Jane had done it because something had went down with her & Tanya and Craig had snitched on them for it. So Jane got back at him by saying he raped her. Tommy even believed that Craig's parents shunned their family from them for the lies that Jane was spreading about Craig. When the real truth was, Jane just didn't want to be around them, and Angela & Frank weren't going to make her do anything she didn't want to do. Now all the pieces, all the truth, fell into place and made Tommy see that... It wasn't Jane who lied... But Craig. Feeling anger build up inside him once more, Tommy stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut.

Frank noticed Tommy leave and shook his head, thinking that Tommy was just angry about everyone going against him. That's all he hoped it was anyways. He couldn't bare to think anything else right now. Not with his wife and daughter falling apart right in front of him. Frank felt helpless as he stood there. Even Frankie was sitting in front of the television, tears streaming down his face. Frank looked over at Maura, who looked smaller than ever as she cried against the wall. He wanted to break down too. Just break down and cry, but he knew he had to wait. He had to be strong for his family. Swallowing thickly, Frank wrapped his arms around Angela & Jane. "I'm so sorry Janie." Frank whispered, his tears threatening to fall. But he quickly choked them back as he left the two of them and walked over to Frankie.

Frankie's eyes lifted up to look at his father and he shook his head. "I know that... You said men don't cry but... It's just been... It's hard... It's really hard dad." Frankie cried, resting his head against his legs.

"Hey... Men do cry, alright? Everybody cries, it's all part of being human son." Frankie choked as he wrapped his arms around Frankie. "Come here Maura." He called out to the small figure not even 7 feet away from him. Maura slowly lurked over towards them and let her head fall onto Frank's shoulder. He swallowed thickly once more and wrapped his arms around both of them.

The Rizzoli family was broken.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Burbon Hotel - 15 miles northwest of Rizzoli Residence ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

_*Knock Knock Knock*_

Craig sighed heavily as he withdrew his beer from his lips. At the tender age of 19, he was already a major alcoholic, drinking beer whenever his friend Austin had bought it for him. He even spoiled himself at times and drank whiskey or vodka. Today though, he just felt the need to drink a 6 pack. Tommy had left the hotel earlier that morning and he hoped that his youngest cousin didn't get himself into big trouble with his parents. He half expected it to be Tommy whenever he opened up the hotel door, so he wasn't too surprised when it was indeed Tommy on the other side of the door.

"Tommy! What's up man? You ain't get into too much-"

Before Craig could continue, Tommy's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawled out on the floor. Craig jumped up and glared at Tommy, who was still standing at the door.

"The fuck was that for?" Craig yelled, only to be knocked back down by Tommy's fist.

Tommy was enraged. He was beyond pissed. And the person he was pissed off at was not only the man in front of him, but also the man in the mirror. He was pissed at himself for not believing his sister when she confided in him. He was also pissed at himself for going after his sister, his brother, and his sisters best friend/girl friend. He had been a horrible brother on all accounts. He knew he needed his ass kicked, so who better to fight than the man who you were mad at? You beat his ass and he beats yours. Win-Win situation.

It didn't shook Tommy when Craig jumped right back up and slammed him into the wall, sending a punch to his gut. But Tommy hardly felt his rib crack from the impact, he just sent blow after blow to the side of Craig's head, pummeling him with much needed punches. It did surprise him though when he was thrown from behind and onto the floor. When he looked up, he noticed that not only was Craig there at the hotel, but so was his whole crew. That being about ten of his close friends; which included Tim, Austin, Reggie, Big Mike and Mickey. Tommy swallowed thickly as he stared at all of them, some of which he knew, the others he didn't. But he certainly wasn't gonna back down. He knew it wasn't a smart decision to stand down, but he wasn't gonna let all these guys beat on him without a fight of some sort.

Taking in a deep breath, Tommy lunged after Mickey, who was the closest to him and knocked him to the ground. He was picked up by a guy, who was four times the size of his dad, and headbutted him, sending him to the floor as well. Reggie, who was shorter than Tommy was, grabbed him by the throat, but Tommy made short work of him by kicked him in his ribs and throwing him to the side. Tim then grabbed him from behind and put his arms in a lock behind his back. That's when the real beatings proceeded. Austin gave 10 good hits to Tommy's midsection while Big Mike kneed him in the balls. Craig came up and laid hits everywhere; from his face to the back of his head, his back and neck, then his already damaged midsection. When they were finally done using him as their own personal punching bag, they threw a broken Tommy out the back door and into the dumpster.

Tommy spit up blood and tried to get up, though he was unable to. He was sure that at least five of his ribs where broken and his jaw had to be fractured. He couldn't move at all, which was due to the fact that both Big Mike (who weighed about as much as a sumo wrestler) and Craig both stomped on his legs and chest. He was brutally beaten, but he knew he had deserved as much. Maybe not as much to be beaten to a bloody pulp but... That's what he had anticipated on happening. Rolling over the side of the dumpster, Tommy landed tail-first on the ground, sending a sharp pain through his back.

"Oh my God! Someone call an ambulance!" A woman called from maybe 20 feet away. Tommy heard her feet running toward him as he began to fall out of conciousness. Heard her frantic cries and screams as he started to fade to black. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he caught a glimpse of who the woman was. He opened his mouth and was barely able to say her name before he slipped into unconciousness. "Tanya."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... End Chapter ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

**A/N2: okay so... yeah you all may or may not hate me, I really don't know. I do know for sure the next one you will! Next chapter may be kinda short but I don't know. I haven't written it yet, though I do know how I want it to play out sooo... Yeah.**

**Also thanks so much for all the reviews and alerts! Means a lot to me! Reviews are great constructive critism and I don't know where I'd be without them and yall's thoughts and feelings so please please let me know what yall think! Much thanks and much love! =)**


	15. Author's Note - Please Read!

**A/N: Yes you all are going to kill me for waiting sooooooooooooooo long to post a chapter…. Sadly, this isn't a chapter… Yet. But I was just looking this story over again and I'm like "Yeah it isn't even over yet. Like not even close." And I really don't like leaving things unfinished, especially if people like the story, which a lot of you do. BUT, I want to let you all know that there WILL be a new chapter coming! I can't say for sure the date, but just know it will be within the next two weeks. Definitely will be here before July 4****th****! So, thank you all for waiting (hopefully yall still are anyways) if you are, thanks again! A new chapter will be here soon! Just bear with me! =) Again, sorry this isn't a chapter.**


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